


The Tombstone

by CALLEN37



Series: Nicolai Gibbs series. [1]
Category: NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles
Genre: Dysfunctional Family, Family Secrets, Gen, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-18
Updated: 2013-10-25
Packaged: 2017-12-15 09:10:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 24,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/847791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CALLEN37/pseuds/CALLEN37
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Why does Gibbs have a picture of Hannah Lawson's tombstone behind his desk, Why is he so protective of Callen and what secrets has he hidden from his team that come to light now he's on the run from Paterson.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My first true crossover between NCIS and NCIS:LA Posted only here and on my website. for now.

The Tombstone.

 

 

 

1967 – Romania.

 

 

Running along the beach he and Clara laughed as she sank down in the surf, “Gibbs you are so funny, I love being with you.” She smiled kissing him.

He silently thanked his father who thought that a vacation abroad with his uncle at his compound in Romania was a good idea; He had met Clara on his second day in and fell in love instantly. He had spent every day of the last month with her, and he had reached a decision, Clara Callen, I love you will you marry me.

“Jethro Gibbs, we…I…I mean I can’t….” She said sadly knowing that her uncle was watching her. She put her arms around his neck. “Be outside tonight I will marry you, but it must be in secret, my family have plans for me.” She whispered.

Later that night with a bag packed he waited as he saw her climb out of a window.

“Jethro, we must hurry!” She said urgently as they ran hand in hand for the small car Jethro had borrowed from his uncle.

Gibbs had married her in secret that night and they had lived happily with the birth of his first daughter and then finding out Clara was pregnant with another child in late 1969 his life was happy.

* * *

 

Then one morning he came back from the local market to find his house wrecked.

He had been working as a carpenter in a local village, but people didn’t like the American couple and their blonde haired daughter, Clara had been feeling off color for days and he had been pleased when she had told him she was pregnant again. At 19 years old he didn’t feel like he was too young to be a father to two children, hell he felt like he was a better father than his own had been.

He panicked, looking for his daughter, “Amy...Clara!” he called looking everywhere. He knew in his gut that her uncle had found them. He grabbed a bag to pack his stuff and go looking for them when the local immigration was knocking on the door.

“American, we know you are there, you must let us in!” a woman’s voice called.

Shakily Gibbs opened the door, a man and a Woman in suits with a clipboard stood there, “Leroy Jethro Gibbs, you are to be deported, I am to advise you that your marriage to Clara Callen has been declared illegal and you are not to contact her.”

Gibbs crumbled and allowed them to take him away.

* * *

 

 

1970- USA

 

Arriving back in the US his father was at Washington international Airport and was with two policemen who took Gibbs to a holding room.

Looking angrily at his father he listened to all the questions that were posed to him, and he said nothing.

Jackson sadly looked at the angry form of his son glowering at the immigration officials as they told him he could never go to Romania again. Jackson picked up his bag as he gave his missing son a tentative hug.

“I am glad you’re back Leroy, I heard you married a local girl but it got annulled.” Jackson stopped at the sadness and anger radiating off his son.

“At least she wasn’t pregnant.” Jackson said trying to lighten the mood as he threw his son’s bag into the back of the truck.

For the next six years, Gibbs completed his education and tried not to think about what he had lost although he said nothing to his father.

The gulf between the two men grew and Gibbs’ eventually had enough, His father had told him he needed a trade and should work in the store. All Gibbs could think about was getting out of Stillwater and back into the world. Storming out of the store and down the road he was trying to keep a reign on his emotions as he pass the local Marine recruitment center.

Packing his bag while his dad was yelling in the background made leaving home again all the more easier.

Within hours he was sitting at the train station when he struck up a conversation with a pretty red head about rules and lumberjacks. The red-head’s smile lit a flame in him he thought had gone out when Clara left.

* * *

 

 

1970- Romania,

Clara had been distraught when the police had told her, her beloved husband had been killed in a drive by shooting. In their village it was unthinkable, they had told her that she should go back to her uncle for the safety of their daughter and unborn child.

She had left with them sobbing the whole way holding Amelia tight in her arms.

Three months later she found herself in a hospital giving birth to her son.

She looked at him his eyes were so like his father.

“What do you want to call him?” she was asked.

“Nicolai Callen Gibbs.” She answered.

* * *

 

 

1974

George woke her up with a start.

“Clara, my cover’s been blown you need to get the children and get to the beach!” he said quickly, “I have arranged for two of my contacts to get you and your children to America. They will go separately, pack them both a bag and wait on the sand for your contact.

Clara quickly packed them bags; Amelia had a small pink bag with Amy Callen G. written on it.

She grabbed a small blue bag for Nicolai; she packed some clothes and his favorite bear.

Due to the lack of space the bear had Callen G. written on the tag.

Running to the beach they sat waiting as Clara’s uncle’s contact was due to meet them Nicolai playing in the sand as Amelia ran down to the water’s edge.

Amelia was the first to turn around and see as the man shot her mother, she watched shaking from the water’s edge as her mother died and some other men with guns swarmed the beach. Clara was dead, but Amelia screamed as a man picked up her little brother.

“Little Brother!” she screamed his name forgotten in the horror of what she had just witnessed. She ran for the man who picked her up and held her.

“Shh! It’s ok little one we are here to help you and your brother, what’s your name?” The man asked.

“Am…..Amy Callen G…..” the last word was drowned out by her sobs. Her little brother clung to his bear and stared at the body of his mother.

Another woman picked him up. Looking at the tag she looked at the little boy, “Callen G?” she looked over to Amy, “Can you tell me your brother’s name, he wasn’t on our files.”

Amy’s eyes grew wide as she realized she couldn’t remember. “Baby brother.” She sobbed holding his hand.

The woman looked at the two terrified children. “Come on then Amy and Callen G. it’s time for you to come with us, your uncle arranged us to take you to America.”

Amy sniffed, “Dada is from America.” She said.

The woman looked surprised, “He is? Do you remember his name?” She asked.

Amy shook her head sleepily and she curled up holding her baby brother tight and they fell asleep on the plane.

Owen Granger looked at the woman, “Ok this is Clara’s daughter Amelia. Who is the boy?” he had only been told she had one child.

“Amelia insisted she was his baby brother, that’s all she’s called him.” Tracy Fielding sighed, “I think she has traumatic amnesia. Until we can locate their uncle we will have to go with what we have.”

Granger picked up the boy’s bear, “Well we know the surname is Callen, so I guess his name starts with a G…..Just put that on the paperwork for now.” He said. Watching the two children sleep.

* * *

 

 

Present day- Washington D.C.

For years after Shannon and Kelly’s deaths Gibbs had looked for them, using all the means that NIS and then NCIS had at their disposal. He had found out in about 1985, that his beloved Clara had died but that he had had two children who had been brought to America, try as he might he couldn’t find them, Amy Gibbs just didn’t exist in any database. He had searched for years when a tip had lead him to an orphanage in Los Angeles. He had just hired a new agent called DiNozzo and he left him with his other agent Vivian Blackadder to get to know the ropes while he checked out his lead for a weekend.

Coming back to work a week later, Gibbs had said nothing. He had been moody and sullen, but that was the same as normal, the only thing that changed was a small photograph he tacked up behind his desk of a small beige tombstone. The inscription read Hannah Lawson. Aged 11. When DiNozzo had asked Gibbs about it he had shot him such a glare that he never asked again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

 

2013.

 

Gibbs lay flat against the wall breathing heavily, he had just shot Fornell, he had been aiming for Parsons, that had been the plan and at the last minute Fornell had moved into the path of his bullet. Gibbs looked at his spotter, the man he had been working with was dead, himself having been shot a few moments before. FBI Director Patterson and Parsons were being herded away by other Agents as Gibbs took a second to look and see if Fornell was breathing.

He couldn’t tell and he panicked.

He had to admit, he wasn’t sure if he was more scared of the fact he had been working on a top secret operation which if the worst happened he would be on his own, had happened or the fact that Diane would kill him if Fornell died as she would lose his alimony check.

But he knew he had to find someone to help him and he had to get out of DC quickly.

He grabbed his bag policed his brass and his rifle and ran.

He knew that Tony had gone to work for the FBI and Ziva had gone with him, if they were on the case he knew that they and they alone would figure out he was the one who pulled the trigger. Grabbing his go bag from his house he was in his car and on the road before anyone had even called him to tell him Fornell had been shot. Although when they did try to ring him they would find his cell phone on the bench in the basement, Gibbs himself grabbed the most essential personal possessions he owned and hit the road.

Twelve hours later in Oklahoma he brought a burn phone and called one number.

“Yep.” A sleepy voice answered.

“It’s Gibbs, I have a bit of trouble and I need to see you.” He said.

“A bit!” the voice on the other end exclaimed, “I’ve had calls you have gone missing, you know your FBI friend Fornell was shot?”

“Yeah I heard.” Gibbs said flatly.

Silence greeted him and the voice on the other end thought about what to say. “You know my address?” he said eventually.

“Yeah.”

“Fine Stay low.” The voice said.

“You to Callen.” Gibbs replied and closed the call.

* * *

 

He had first met Callen in Russia when the boy worked for the CIA, he had been struck by the talent the boy had for becoming other people and his investigative skills, stuck in a cabin in a snowstorm for three days they had talked about everything, Gibbs had told him about Shannon and Kelly and their deaths and how he had had another daughter by his first marriage and she had died as had his wife, Callen felt for the man losing two families and still moving on. Callen had told him about his time in foster care, the good the bad and the ugly. He had no tales about his family; he had no information about them. So he had told him about his aliases his favorites and his least favorite and over the three days they had formed a solid friendship.

Gibbs had instantly liked the boy, a few times he had wondered if his wife had lived to have their second child he would have been about the same age as Callen. When he had heard the name he had wondered, but the boy knew nothing of his family, so there wasn’t anything to think about there. He had over the years been there for him though, when Callen had joined NCIS in Los Angeles he had been pleased, it was a safer job than the DEA and he had checked out Callen’s new partner and his boss.

Unknown to him, Hetty in turn had checked him out when she had seen he had tried to access her file, realizing he only had Callen’s best interests at heart she had let it go.

Gibbs’ devastation at Callen’s shooting had been real, he had called the hospital in LA every few hours and kept himself apprised of the situation and Hetty hadn’t bothered to change the hospital’s opinion that he was Callen’s foster father. Callen had even gone to Washington for three months to recuperate before returning to LA and work.

* * *

 

Callen arrived at work that morning and there was already hustle and bustling in the building, He headed straight up to ops dropping the coffee in his hand ruefully in the trashcan outside the tech center.

“Mr. Callen I’m glad you can join us.” Hetty said as her team leader arrived late.

“Sorry Hetty, bad night, lousy traffic,” Callen said.

Kensi and Deeks looked up at him and Sam gave him a glance as well but they all shook it off.

“What’s the case?” Callen asked.

“As you know FBI Director Patterson and Parsons were shot at yesterday and FBI Agent Fornell is in a serious condition at Bethesda in Maryland.” Nell said getting into her spiel.

“So it’s an FBI matter why are we on the case?” Callen asked.

“Because Mr. Callen, Agent DiNozzo of the FBI has identified the shooter, Agent...Sorry Ex-Agent Gibbs from NCIS in Washington.” Hetty said eying her agent warily.

“And why are we on the case?” Callen asked again.

“Because Agent Callen, Gibbs has been seen on route to Los Angeles, and the only person he trusts out here is you,” Granger said walking into the room. “Have you talked to him?” he asked.

“No.” Callen lied, “I haven’t heard from Gibbs since I was shot.” He said.

“Well he knows your work number; you are to head the team to catch him.” Granger told him.

Callen gripped the table he was leaning against. In less than a second he relaxed again. “Sure, he shot an FBI agent, if anyone is to bring him in I would rather it was me.” Callen said.

Granger nodded, “Bring the team up to speed with any insights you can provide me about Gibbs.”  He said and left.

Walking down the stairs Callen’s mind was racing, there was no way he was handing Gibbs over until he could talk to him himself.

He worked through the day and gave them as close to real information as he could. He trusted his team, but not with this his gut told him not to.

Finally the day ended with no new sightings of Gibbs and Callen inwardly sighed with relief when he could call it a day.

Tiredly he left the mission, Sam noticed he didn’t say goodbye but assumed it was because he was worried about his finding his friend.

* * *

 

Callen parked up outside his house and opened the door and shucked off his shoes and tensed when he heard a noise in the kitchen. Pulling his gun he walked into his kitchen. Looking at the man in his icebox he lowered his gun and grinned. “It’s a one day and fifteen hour drive from Washington to LA. You’ve done it in 24 hours; you break the speed limit to get here?”

“Yep. You brought a bed yet?” Gibbs asked.

“Nope ya gonna have to bunk on the floor.” Callen smiled at his friend.

Opening a beer himself Callen slid down the wall in the living room onto his bunk roll as Gibbs took the chair.

“So.” Callen said looking at his friend and mentor, “What the hell happened?”

“I’ve been set up.” Gibbs admitted. “Parsons was under investigation by the CIA and I was recalled to active service to take him out. I can’t tell you what he was up too. We tracked him for four months, I got all the information I needed and was ordered to take him out. Tob…Fornell got in the way, his shooting was an accident. What I can tell you is that Parsons is out to get NCIS, he has a hit list, and Hetty is on it.” Gibbs said.

Callen looked up at that. “I’ll keep an eye on her.” He said.

Gibbs grabbed his bag, “Do you mind if I take a shower?” he asked.

“No problem.” Callen took the beer bottles to the kitchen and walked back into the living room, thinking all the way, if Hetty was in danger Callen had to figure out a way of warning her about what he knew without letting them know Gibbs was in L.A.

* * *

 

Sitting down in his chair he accidently knocked Gibbs’ bag on the floor and some of his stuff fell out.

Sighing he leant down and picked up Gibbs’ belongings and placing them in the bag.

Socks, picture of Shannon and Kelly, he looked at those wistfully then a picture of an old man standing with Gibbs smiling and then he stopped. He reached out carefully and picked the last picture up off the floor.

Gibbs walked out of the shower feeling so much better. He walked into the living room and stopped as he saw Callen looking at his picture.

“What are you doing with that?” Gibbs said snatching the picture out of his hand.

Callen stood up glaring at Gibbs, “What am **I** doing with that!” he said stunned, “Why in the **hell** do you have a picture of **My** dead sisters’ grave!”

Gibbs stared in shock, “Your…your sister?” he leant against the wall heavily.

“Yes my sister Amy is buried in that grave.” Callen said sadly.

“I thought you didn’t know anything about your family?” Gibbs asked.

“A guy called Keelson…” Callen started.

“Eugene Keelson?” Gibbs asked.

“You’ve heard of him?” Callen asked his curiosity outweighing his anger.

“I had him looking for my daughter and my first wife.” Gibbs said.

“Shannon and Kelly?” Callen said.

“No, Clara and Amelia.” Gibbs said.

Callen dropped the picture in shock.

He stood up and walked to the box on the mantel and opened it carefully.

He turned the picture towards his chest and took a deep breath, “G...Gibbs…This is my mother.” Callen shakily handed the picture to Gibbs staring intently at the man.

It was Gibbs’ turn to go white. “Clara….Clara is your mother…my Clara?”

Callen looked at Gibbs noticing the fact that they had the same colored eyes and the same nose. Or at least he hoped so.

Callen for the first time scared to death asked Gibbs a question that he had never thought he’d get to ask.

“Gibbs…Are you my father?”

Gibbs looked at the picture and then looked at Callen and started the calculations in his head.

“I…..”He said looking into Callen’s expectant eyes.

“I think I am.”


	3. Chapter 3

 

Callen stared at Gibbs, his heart pounding. A million questions he wanted to ask him.

“Did you know…did you know about me?” he asked half scared of what the answer would be.

Gibbs looked at his son…his son! He wanted to hug him, but he was probably feeling as freaked out as Callen was right now, he didn’t know what to say until Callen asked the question.

“I was told your mother had died when she was pregnant with you, when I went back to the US. I knew your mother died and I found out Amy had been brought to the US. I didn’t know you had been born. I always hoped that by some miracle…” Gibbs tapered off as he saw a complex range of emotions cross Callen’s face.

“So you don’t know either?” Callen said sadly.

“What?” Gibbs asked confused.

“What the G in my name stands for?” Callen replied.

Gibbs laughed, “That’s easy, it’s Gibbs.” He said realizing that he only had half his surname.

“What?” Callen asked confused.

Gibbs sat in the chair as turned to get another beer.

“Nicolai come here?” Gibbs said.

Callen stopped, “What did you call me?”

Gibbs smiled, “That’s your name, if I had known who you were I would have told you, we picked your name the week we found out your mother was pregnant, Nicolai Callen Gibbs.”

Callen was stunned, “I always thought my name started with a G….I never considered anything else, Nicolai…” He let the name roll around for a moment, then he let out a huge grin, “I like it!” he declared. “Nic for short.”

He wanted there and then to pick the phone up and share this news with Sam and the reality hit like a sledgehammer. “I can’t.” Callen said.

* * *

 

Gibbs’ heart constricted, “You can’t what.”

“I can’t call Sam and tell him, I can’t turn you in…I can’t lose you…not now.” Callen said he turned away as tears threatened to fall and Gibbs walked up behind him.

“Come here son.” Gibbs held his arms out and within seconds for the first time in their lives father and son held each other.

Callen let out a short laugh, “I went to Romania a few years ago, I was on the beach where Mama was shot, I remembered her death, and I always thought I was full Romany due to the Comescu’s gypsy blood feud. We were coming to America and we were waiting on the beach and a Comescu killed her.” He told Gibbs who looked at his son sadly.

“Dad?” Callen asked looking up as if asking for permission to use the word. Gibbs nodded with a smile, his heart swelling at being called dad again, and Callen continued, “What the Hell happened in Washington that you have the head of the FBI after you?”

Gibbs sighed he knew he’d have to talk about it eventually.

“I was set up…” he started, “Got any coffee Nic?” he asked and Callen waved him towards the kitchen and followed him sitting on a stool in the kitchen Callen listened to what Gibbs had to say.

“And?” Callen prompted after Gibbs had made his coffee.

“He, Director Patterson had a prick called Parsons, Look into my history, my arrests and kills and the work my team had done over the past ten years, he went all out to destroy me.” Gibbs stated.

“Why?” Callen asked.

“Eli David.” Gibbs said. Callen rolled his eyes it felt to him like pulling teeth.

“Dad!” he sighed, Gibbs smirked his son’s first mini temper tantrum.

Callen glared at him and with a shock Gibbs realized there was no doubt, Nic was definitely his son.

* * *

 

“Eli David had secretly brokered a peace deal with the Palestinians and was very close to ending war in the Middle East, The FBI and the department of defense found out about it and worried that I knew and might say they tried to discredit my team and NCIS.”

“Why would they want to stop peace in the Middle East?” Callen asked confused.

Gibbs raised an eyebrow, “Department of Defense…no war no need for defense.” he said slowly.

“Oh, ok so what can we do now?” Callen said

“I went to work for Homeland on a top priority mission, this isn’t the whole department. It’s just Patterson and Parsons.”

“So a mini joint DOD and FBI mission then?”

“No, just Parsons, wanting more power and Patterson wanting it as well, my mission was to take them out before they caused war in the middle east but as I took my shot Fornell got in the way.” Gibbs said sadly.

“He’s gonna be ok.” Callen said.

“Are you sure?” Gibbs said his heart lightened.

Callen nodded I got the update on my cell phone an hour ago.

“You can come in with me, you were acting under orders, and Hetty can help.” Callen said searching around for ideas.

“No, that’s the other reason I came here, Parsons’ is on a vendetta of his own to take down NCIS, he and Patterson were behind the deaths of Eli David and Jackie Vance and I saw their list, Hetty is on it but more importantly so were you.” Gibbs said.

“Why me?”  Callen asked confused.

“The Tombstone…” Gibbs said finally getting it.

“What?”

“I had a picture of Amy’s Tombstone behind my desk, Parsons had access to my desk after I left, he cleared it out, and he must have looked up the name Hannah Lawson and used Patterson’s contacts to figure out who she was. They must have figured out the name Callen had something to do with you, and if it did then they would know that Hetty knew.”

“We need help. Trust me?” Callen asked Gibbs.

“With my life.” Gibbs replied instantly.

Callen smirked “Good,” He picked up his phone and made a call, “Sam, grab Kensi and Deeks and meet me in the boatshed.” Callen said and hung up.

* * *

 

 

Sam Kensi and Deeks arrived together at the boatshed as Callen put another pot of coffee on and grabbed himself a bottle of water out of the fridge.

He leant against the table as the others walked in.

“Hey G, what’s going on?” Sam asked.

“There’s been a development regarding Gibbs.” Callen said.

“What is it?” Kensi asked.

“The information we have is incomplete.” Callen said, He filled them in on what he knew and they looked at him, stunned.

“How can you know this?” Deeks asked.

“I told him.” Gibbs said coming out from upstairs.

The other three pulled their guns but were then stunned when Callen pulled his on them.

“G?” Sam said scared for his partner.

“Hear him out Sam; please…Hetty is in danger too!” Callen said.

The others put their guns away and Gibbs came down the stairs, “You make coffee Nic?” Gibbs asked and Callen nodded.

“Over there,” He pointed in the direction of the coffee machine.

Gibbs poured himself a cup and sat at the table.

“I found a list in Patterson’s office, it had the name of people Parsons had been ordered to take down, Eli David, Leon Vance, Myself, Tom Morrow and Hetty Lange and Nic, All of us were a threat to Patterson’s plan.”

* * *

 

The others looked confused, “Ok so I know most of those names, but Tom Morrow? And who is Nic?” Kensi and Deeks asked between them.

Callen laughed. “Tom Morrow is the head of The Department of Homeland Security Ex- NCIS director and Nic…well, that’s me.”

“You?!” All three of them said.

Callen looked at Gibbs, “You wanna help me out here?” Callen asked.

“Nope.” Gibbs smirked.

“But….!” Callen choked looking between his father and his team. “Fine.” He semi-sulked.

“I found my father.” Callen said simply.

Sam’s face cracked into a big grin “That’s great man!” he smiled; the others looked pleased for him too.

“So you found out what the G stands for then?” Kensi asked.

“Gibbs.” Gibbs said.

They looked at Callen then at Gibbs.

“So your name is Gibbs Callen?” Deeks said and yelped as Kensi punched his arm.

“Stupid!” She hissed.

Deeks looked affronted and winked at Callen to show he was kidding.

Callen laughed at the pair of them, “No my name is Nicolai Callen Gibbs.”

“So not a G name then.” Sam affirmed.

“No, I need your help, Parsons is working with my old team, well Tony DiNozzo and Ziva David, to bring me in once I’m behind bars Parsons intends to ‘drop the bombshell on Callen’  about my being his father so that Callen will go to me and leave Hetty unprotected and then take her out.” Gibbs told them.

“How do you know this?” Deeks asked.

“DiNozzo and David, they may work for the FBI but they have been keeping me in the loop. Although they don’t know about my connection to Callen, hell I didn’t know until yesterday.” Gibbs admitted.

“We have to take Patterson down and take out Parsons and save Hetty,” Callen told them. “Are you in?” he asked,

“We’re in G…I mean Nic.” Sam grinned.

“Good. I really hadn’t planned on dying,” Hetty voice came from behind them and surprised them all.


	4. Chapter 4

"Mr. Callen," Hetty Lange said walking to the table and sitting down. "Would you care to explain why you are harboring a fugitive in our boatshed and why I am on this 'hit list'?" She looked towards Sam who went to make her a cup of tea.

"I can explain Hetty." Callen said suddenly worried.

"It's my fault I came here to keep both you and Nic safe." Gibbs said.

"And who is Nic?" Hetty asked.

Callen gave her a shy grin, "I am…Nicolai Callen Gibbs."

Hetty looked surprised and carefully concealed it as she looked from Callen to Gibbs, "I thought so, but I was told you were Jethro Gibbs?"

"Ma'am?" Gibbs said confused.

"I knew Clara, she used to tell me about her husband Leroy Gibbs, I was told you were dead, she told me you had been killed in a drive by shooting I assumed that Mr. Callen, Sorry, Mr. Gibbs here, had a different father to his sister, Clara never told me who the father of her children was."

Gibbs took a deep breath and walked to the window. "I tried looking for them before I was told they were dead. I contacted Eugene Keelson after I was told my son may have been born, but I didn't get an answer from him, He had found out that my daughter was brought to America and he sent me a picture of her grave, even though she was buried under someone else's name, But we could find no information on Nicolai Gibbs, so I thought he had either been killed with Clara or hadn't been born." Gibbs admitted.

* * *

Callen walked up behind him and handed him a coffee. "It's ok Dad." He said so quietly that Hetty nearly missed it, but Gibbs smiled.

Callen grabbed his own drink and sat down, "Keelson said something to me before he died, and I think it might have something to do with this."

"What did he say?" Sam asked

"He said that all this, went deeper than my name and my family, and that I was asking who; when I should have been asking why?" Callen said.

"Why; what?" Kensi asked.

"Why I was separated from Clara and the kids?" Gibbs said it was the biggest question he'd ever had.

"Why were you told they were dead?" Deeks added.

"Why did they kill my mom?" Callen added softly.

"I thought that was because of the blood feud with the Comescu's," Hetty said, "However my enquires in Romania last year before I saw Alexa Comescu gave me pause for thought on that, At one point to keep her off your trail I had a fake death certificate written up, I started to tell her your name and she cut me off saying she knew your name…I didn't realize then, but someone must have given her your real, full name. I don't know where she would have got that from."

"Clara's uncle, George, from what I remember was in Romania working with a Jewish group to try to stop a war." Gibbs said trying to remember.

Hetty nodded. "The war of Attrition." She said and everyone looked at her. "It was a conflict between Egypt and Israel from 1967 – 1970, President Nixon sent William Rodgers to try to conduct a ceasefire, although I know there was a group who really were trying to broker a ceasefire separately and they met in Bucharest on neutral ground, I think it was at the Comescu compound to try and broker a peace deal, although nothing was finalized new alliances were made and the unrest that was starting to grow between the Israelis and the Palestinians had been settled down by the meetings between…Oh! I remember now between George Callen he worked for the NSA, the deputy secretary of state for Israel Yusef Bodnar and oh I can't remember the name of the Palestinian….Amir Haswari…That's it."

"President Nixon didn't want peace between these too that he didn't control." Gibbs guessed.

"Is this why?" Callen asked, "Is this why my mother died, is this what Patterson and Parsons were trying to keep you from finding out and why Jackie Vance and Eli David had to die? Is this why I grew up alone?" Callen's voice was shaking in fury and Gibbs could see the anguish in his boy's eyes. It was the same anguish he had felt when he had discovered that Shannon and Kelly had died because of a drug deal and that Pedro Hernandez was the one to ultimately blame for their deaths.

"Nic," he said softly placing his hands on Callen's shoulders.

"NO!" Callen shook him off and stood up, "They all died, they all died because of George Callen trying to do something right, and Patterson is trying to cover it up, this isn't right!"

"It isn't right son, and for the good of the country it may never come out, but Parsons and Patterson will not be allowed to continue to cover this up."

Callen looked at Gibbs, "They won't." He agreed.

Hetty shivered at the intense look passing from father to son.

* * *

"G…Er Nic...Callen…Aw heck!" Sam growled frustrated.

"G's fine Sam." Callen grinned.

"So, G what's the plan?"

Both Gibbs and Callen turned to them all. "Stop Patterson and Parsons." They said together.

"Any idea how?" Deeks asked looking at them both.

Callen grinned.

"I'm going on the run, Parson's will take the bait and find out my connection to Gibbs and then we get them both to confess."

"Got any idea how?" Kensi asked

Callen just smirked. "Yep."

"Gonna tell us G?" Sam asked.

"Not yet, plausible deniability, if Granger gets called in on this or Parsons or Director Patterson interviews you, you actually don't know so even if they use a lie detector you won't fail."

"What if they ask about you and Gibbs and how we know?" Kensi asked.

"If you're asked Sam followed me to the boatshed you followed him, you found me and Gibbs in here, you heard me call him dad and him call me Nic and we shot our way out of here."

"But you didn't?" Deeks said.

"But we will…" Callen grinned. "I have a burn phone Hetty, the Beauregard one."

She nodded in understanding.

"Just one favor Sam?" Callen asked drawing his gun.

"What?" Sam asked.

"Miss!" Callen said and started firing as he and Gibbs ran out the door and jumped into Sam's Challenger.

 


	5. Chapter 5

Gibbs drove Sam's challenger and Callen couldn't resist a grin, "You scratch her and Sam'll never forgive you." He said.

Gibbs shot his son a glare and then grinned, "Na, I'm a great driver."

"So, Dad…." Callen said, still stopping on the unfamiliar word, "Where next?" he asked.

"We need to get one of that dong….flash….thingies…Patterson and Parsons have to believe we have evidence against them, if we could actually get some that would be even better."

Callen smiled, "It's a flash drive, head for this address." Callen wrote the address of the OSP headquarters down.

"That's where you are now?" Gibbs asked,

"Yep, hold on…" Callen sent a text to Hetty,  ***FIRE ALARM** and **FILE*** it said hoping Hetty would get the idea.

"The building will be practically empty when we get there!" he promised.

* * *

Callen used the downtime to watch Gibbs as he drove, he knew what he looked like having met and worked with Gibbs before, but now it was different.

This was his father.

He saw the fact that they had the same eyes and nose, the way both he and Gibbs cocked their head to one side when thinking, small mannerisms' that Callen now knew they both shared.

"Dad?" Callen asked as Gibbs drove, "What were they like?"

"Who?" Gibbs asked distracted.

"Mom and Amy?" Callen asked.

Gibbs pulled over and turned in his seat. "I'm sorry I shouldn't have asked." Callen said reacting automatically to the older man turning in the way he had.

Gibbs saw his son tense up. He let a flash of anger cross his face at the fact that Callen had been through so much in his life that flinching was an automatic response.

"Nic…" Gibbs stopped as Callen failed to look up, "I'm not mad, I…I just didn't expect it yet…well, not now anyway." He smiled as Callen looked up.

"Clara, your mother, she was perfect, My wives after her, and after Shannon, all thought that I was trying to replace Shannon, it's not true, Shannon was wonderful, she was lovely and beautiful and I loved both her and Kelly dearly, but Clara was my one true love. Clara had eyes as blue as yours, Amy had her eyes…" Gibbs stopped as a memory assaulted him.

"Clara had a wonderful laugh and was so compassionate, she had an infinite capacity for love and she always had time to help people. She was a wonderful mother to Amelia, She was never angry, she was a great cook, she had beautiful blonde hair."

"Blonde?" Callen asked, his picture of his mother had her with black hair.

"She dyed it when I took that picture," Gibbs said knowing which one his son was thinking about, "I took it the moment after she told me we were expecting you, it was your first picture."

"She was pregnant with me in that?" Callen asked awed.

"We had just picked your name, if you were a girl you would have been Nicolette. It was the name of your grandmother, Nicolette for her and Annabelle for my mother, But she insisted it was in the name for you if you were a boy, as we had named Amelia Hannah for her best friend and mine so she insisted if you were a boy you would be Nicolai Jackson Callen Gibbs. I added the Jackson, for your grandfather."

Callen nodded stunned, "I remember you mentioning your dad, he died years ago didn't he."

"No." Gibbs simply said

"No?" Callen said stunned, "NO?!...I…I have a grandfather?"

"Yeah, After I came back to America, I hadn't told him about Amelia or you and he was told your mother left me, I was angry with him for not listening to me, about how important she was, he thought, as I did that she was just a local Roma girl, and that she didn't love me he was pleased I hadn't brought her home…We fought I didn't speak to him for years…we started talking again a few years ago."

Callen sat there shocked. Not only did he have a father, he had a grandfather, his family had just grown by two.

"Maybe…if we get through this…I'd like to…I mean could I…maybe…meet him?" Callen asked.

"I think I'd like it if you two met, he'd like it too." Gibbs said he turned to start the ignition on the car again and caught sight of the burn phone. "Fire Alarm?" he asked.

"Something Hetty and I worked out years ago, if I needed something from OSP and we needed the area cleared, Hetty gets Nell to pull the Fire alarm and disconnect it so that we don't get the fire trucks turn up, but everyone gets out of the building." Callen told him.

* * *

Tony and Ziva looked at each other and sighed, Gibbs' cell phone had, as Tony expected, been in his basement, and there was no sign of their former Boss.

Parsons looked over at them, "I trust you have an idea of where he's gone!" he snarled.

Tony resisted the urge to punch the man, his team…his family would have been together if it wasn't for him, and now by a strange quirk of fate he was working with the man to find the one man who meant more to him than anyone else.

Tony went to move a pad and Parsons grabbed it and got a pencil, he rubbed it over the pad and took the number, "Callen?" Parsons said looking at the name scribbled under it and going a strange shade of grey.

He grabbed his phone ignoring the two agents and walked over to a corner and called a number, "It's Richard Sir, He's made contact with Callen….yes sir…what about them….very well." Parsons shut his phone and turned to the others, "I take it you have Go-bags in your trunks…get them we are going to California." Parsons walked out of the basement and out of the house. Ziva wrote a quick note, *CALLEN. CALIFORNIA* and left it on the bench hoping Tim would find it later and they followed him out.

"Who's Callen?" Ziva asked.

Tony shrugged, Tim had gone to California during the blackbird case with Gibbs, he and Ziva had worked point in Washington, although Tony had heard the name Callen, especially just after Gibbs had got back a few times a day on the phone, He assumed he was a friend or another agent. "When we can make a call we will have to ask McGee. Although I think Abby mentioned the name once, I think he worked in OSP."

They got in their car Parsons was waiting in the back, "You took your time."

"Bathroom break." Tony snapped as he did up his belt and they headed to the airport.

* * *

Callen showed Gibbs where he could pull up and watch OSP without being seen by surveillance. His burn phone beeped and Callen looked and clicked on the link he had been set, within seconds', alarm bells were heard throughout the building and the two men watched as Agents and support staff left the building.

"Nice Nic." Gibbs said with a slight smirk.

"Come on." Callen walked in the back entrance of OSP.

The building was more quiet than usual, the Alarms had shut themselves off but unexpectedly there were two people still in the building.

"I know this can't be a normal Alarm, it's just too coincidental." The man's voice growled out.

"Shit…" Callen whispered "Granger."

Drawing his gun Gibbs entered OPS first and Nell gave a scream.

* * *

Granger turned, realized he was unarmed and swore.

"Gibbs, turn yourself in, before it's too late." Granger said spotting Callen, gun drawn, coming up behind the latticed windows.

Gibbs didn't look as Callen came up behind him. "Where is it?" he asked looking at Nell.

Nell looked at Callen and back at Gibbs.

Granger looked over and realized that Callen should have taken Gibbs down by now.

"Top drawer, Nell would have thought something was strange after Hetty asked and would have downloaded the files and put it there." Callen replied as the other two looked shocked.

"Agent Callen…..?" Granger snapped.

Callen smirked.

"Dad, here;" He said throwing the flash drive across the room. Gibbs caught it and put it in his pocket.

"The others are unharmed or they were when we left the boatshed. Tell DiNozzo, when he gets here Rule 14 is better than Rule 16." Gibbs said as he turned to go.

Granger looked down and noticed the small gun in Nell's bag, she must have forgotten it was there he thought and as the two turned he reached up with the gun and fired.

"CALLEN!" Nell screamed

"NIC!" Gibbs said grabbing his son and pulling him out of the way as Granger continued shooting.

Callen winced as he looked at the bullet in his shoulder, "Dad, we need to get out of here?" he said worried as it was supposed to have been a quick in and out job.

Suddenly they heard a dull thunk.

Callen looked up as the bullets stopped to see Granger out cold and Nell standing over him with a fire extinguisher in her hand.

"Callen are you ok?" she asked rushing over to him.

Callen nodded "it'll be fine, but if you could make it look worse that'll help." He said.

She smiled and looked over at Granger, "I've wanted to do that for ages."

Gibbs looked at her and smiled.

"Thanks…."

"Nell Jones." She said, "Good luck Agent Gibbs." She said as Eric walked into the building and spied the two of them.

"Come on Dad!" Callen said, "They're coming back in... we are out of time!" He turned and they both ran out the back door, just as Eric arrived to stand next to Nell and watch them leave.

"Dad?" Eric asked.

Nell shrugged and looked at Granger, "Help me with the surveillance videos and then help me get him up?" she asked.

"You are going to tell me what this is all about?" Eric asked.

Nell smiled, "Maybe….someday." she said enigmatically and began typing.

 


	6. Chapter 6

Granger came to, with Nell kneeling next to him holding an icepack to his head.

"Are you ok?" she asked.

"What happened?" He growled.

"Callen hit the hook with a bullet and it knocked the fire extinguisher off the wall and it hit your head. It knocked you out cold." She told him.

Granger groaned and moved the ice-pack to a better position and accepted the two Tylenol that Nell handed to him and took them gratefully.

* * *

"Who's in charge here!" an annoying voice came from the entrance.

Granger sat up as Parsons followed by Tony and Ziva trailing along walked in, "I need to see whoever is in charge now?!" He demanded.

"Hetty Lange is our operations manager, she is at another location with our Top team, and I'm her second, name's Granger." He said holding his hand out.

"What happened to you?" Parsons asked.

"Who are you?" Granger countered.

"Richard Parsons, Department of Defense, Inspector General's office, this is Agent Tony DiNozzo and Agent Ziva David, formerly of Gibbs' team now with the FBI tasked with helping me bring him in, I need to meet with your Agent Callen."

"We have a problem there…" Granger growled.

Parsons looked confused, "Let's go up to OPS, its better if I show you." Granger said and the three newcomers followed him."

* * *

Eric turned as the newcomers entered, "Hey," he said and turned back to his work.

"Eric, I need the footage of this morning's raid."

"You were raided; I thought this place was top secret!" Tony said surprised.

"Not from our own agents," Granger snarled and Tony backed off a bit.

They watched Tony and Ziva with mouths agape as both Gibbs and Callen came in the back of NCIS with their guns drawn.

Watching the altercation in the Tech room, the two FBI Agents looked at each other as Callen called Gibbs Dad." Both were surprised when Parsons never made any mention of it.

"We need a BOLO out on them both they are Terrorists and are armed and dangerous." Parsons said.

"Callen's not a Terrorist!" Nell protested.

"Callen isn't even Callen girly, you heard him, his real name is Nicolai Callen Gibbs, and he's been living under an assumed alias for years, just waiting to get into a federal agency to cause Terror."

"Oh! For crying out loud!" Nell said, "I'm calling Hetty…"

"Good, she's on my list as well, we believe she knew of Nicolai's identity and deliberately withheld it from the US government. Did she send you any kind of communication prior to the attack?"

Nell looked uncomfortable, "She sent me a text message asking for a file, of a man, Named George Yusuf Amir."

"That's three men…" Parsons snapped and realized he shouldn't have, "DiNozzo, David, Find Miss Lange and bring her to me for interviewing,"

"I am quite sure I can come on my own Mr. Parsons," Hetty's voice said from the plasma screen, "Miss Jones, will you dispatch a clean-up crew to the boat-shed, the team was ambushed by Mr. Callen and Mr. Gibbs, and they made quite a mess in their escape. We will be returning in Miss Blye's vehicle, Mr. Hanna's challenger was commandeered by Mr. Callen…I suggest you get Eric on finding it, Mr. Callen asked me for the file before we realized he was in League with Mr. Gibbs."

"Did you know?" Parsons asked.

"Despite popular belief I am not omnipresent, so I will have to ask for clarification; did I know what?" Hetty asked

"Did you know that Agent Gibbs was Agent Callen's father?" Richard snapped feeling like he was being played.

"Mr. Callen has no family as I am aware, he has often made that clear, and Mr. Gibbs' family I was told, a wife and daughter were killed in the late '90's, A Shannon and Kelly as I believe. The only thing I know about Mr. Callen's family is that he had a sister called Amy, killed In the late '70's and His mother Clara, a Romany girl was killed in 1974 on a beach on the black sea in Romania…I think If I am right Owen, you were on the team to extract them and got Mr. Callen and his sister out after their mother died."

"Then why request that file?" Parsons looked tired but pressed on.

"Mr. Gibbs asked for the file, he mentioned it to Mr. Callen and I felt it would be useful to have."

"So you got him the file?" Parsons snapped.

Even Eric suppressed a giggle and the seemly huge amount of ineptitude in the man.

"No, I got the file because if they were asking for it and Mr. Gibbs was on the run, it must have been important and I fully intend to brief my agents when we return, which by the way Mr. Parsons, you are hindering with all of your questions, I'm sure we can talk about it over a nice cup of tea when I return." She said and cut the connection leaving Parsons staring at the screen and DiNozzo and David smirking behind him.

"Well if she's coming in we can't waste FBI resources by going to get her." Tony smiled.

Parsons looked at them. "I told you to arrest her and bring her in!" he yelled.

"You told us to bring her to you for an interview; she is coming so we do not need to get her." Ziva reiterated.

"You work for me and will do as I say!" Parsons said turning a deep shade of purple.

"Actually, we work for the FBI and the only reason we volunteered to work with you was to make sure you don't railroad Gibbs, if he's guilty we'll arrest him, but if not, he needs a fair deal." Tony said.

* * *

At that moment, Gibbs and Callen were checked into a no-star motel under one of Callen's aliases.

Callen took his laptop he had swiped off his desk earlier and plugged in the flash drive.

"It'll take a while to download, you wanna get some food?" He asked.

Gibbs looked at him, "This has all gone to hell and you wanna eat?"

"First rule of survival; eat when you can sleep when it's safe." Callen replied. "Not sure if it's safe yet, so we eat."

"You learn that in the CIA?" Gibbs asked.

"Nope, Foster care." Callen said and turned away.

Gibbs instantly felt guilty and wanted to say anything so he knew how sorry he was for not finding him sooner, but Callen grabbed a handful of Take Out menu's from by the phone, "So what ya hungry for?" he asked.

Gibbs looked through them, "Is there anything you particularly like?" he asked.

Callen shrugged, "I pretty much have a cast iron stomach, so I eat anything, I lived near here once and this place is good if you like Mexican." He said pointing to a leaflet.

Gibbs nodded "That'll do, there's a corner store back a block, and we need coffee and bourbon, anything else?"

Callen nodded, "Yeah, I'll go, though I won't be noticed."

Callen slipped on a baseball cap and walked to the door, "I could go in that and not be noticed." Gibbs insisted.

"Dad, you're a marine, you walk like a marine you stick out like a sore thumb, I'm used to not being noticed, it's a survival skill, and I'm afraid I'm just better at it than you." True to his word the second he put the cap on his posture and way of walking changed, Gibbs doubted that even if Tim had been looking he would have been able to tell it was Callen at first glance.

The door shut and Gibbs sat on the bed watching where his son had just left.

"Oh, Nico…what did they do to you?" He said sadly as he watched through the curtain as Callen disappeared around the corner.

* * *

Half an hour later, the door opened and Callen came in carrying two large paper bags.

"What 'ya got?" Gibbs asked.

"Coffee, bourbon….a few other things he said pulling out some cigarettes two boxes of matches and a few more things."

"You don't smoke?" Gibbs asked.

"Nope, Callen doesn't….but while I'm outside on camera, whoever I maybe…in an initial sweep, they may discount the guy whose smoking, gives us more time to get away. Besides I plan on leaving a small present for whomever comes looking…"

Gibbs looked at the rest of the shopping supplies. "Nico…?"

Callen grinned, "It's not a big bomb and it won't hurt anyone, it'll be more of a flash-bang, used to make 'em as a kid, scare off the lousy 'rents"

"'Rents?" Gibbs asked

"Foster Parents, they ain't all like those old TV shows ya know." Callen smirked as a car pulled up and he grabbed Gibbs' wallet, "You're paying for dinner old man!" he laughed changing the mood and the subject and handed the money to the delivery driver while Gibbs stood behind the door firearm at the ready.

"Ok, you dish up the food and I'll look at this flash drive." Callen said calling up the program on the computer.

 


	7. Chapter 7

 

 

 

Looking through the details on the flash drive Callen became increasingly frustrated.

Gibbs lay against the headboard on one of the beds dozing and opened an eye at his son's frustrated grunt.

"Nico?" he asked,

Callen looked up, he couldn't stop the smirk at the name…he was still amazed it wasn't a G name.

"I can't get in this damn flash drive, I have most of it, but it's encrypted. I'm not that good with this sort of stuff; I usually go to Eric with stiff like this." He admitted. "I'd let you have a go….but it's you." He smirked.

Gibbs smiled, "Yep, we need someone who can help."

"You know anyone?" Callen asked.

"Out here….Nope….back home…maybe." Gibbs said.

"Dad!" Callen lay back on his bed, "Who?"

"McGee." Gibbs replied.

Callen sat up looking at his father and wondering, not for the first time since they had found out their connection to each other, if insanity ran in the family.

"McGee's not a Fed anymore, so he's not after me, he quit with my team, but he had a different back up plan, he's a writer you know."

Callen lifted an eyebrow, "Yeah? Any good?" he asked.

"You heard of Thom E. Gemcity?" Gibbs asked.

"As good as him then?" Callen asked impressed

"Is him."

"No!" Callen was shocked, he had read the LJ Tibbs series, and he had found the books in Hetty's office one night and had got hooked on the reality of the cases and how real the characters seemed.

Gibbs was looking at him as if he was waiting for something.

"Tibbs is you!" Callen exclaimed,

"And there it is." Gibbs smiled and sipped the last of his coffee.

Callen laughed, "You think he will help then?"

Gibbs dropped his cup in the sink and picked up the burn phone.

* * *

"McGee." A tired voice came from the small speaker.

"Did I wake you?" Gibbs asked sarcastically.

"B…Boss…N…No?!" Tim sounded shocked. "Where are you? I got Ziva and Tony's note, are you ok? Are you with Agent Callen? Has he arrested you?"

Gibbs smiled, "California, what note? Yes and no." Gibbs said answering all the questions in order.

"Huh? Boss?"

"McGee! I got a flash drive that needs decrypting can you do it?" Gibbs asked.

"Sure Boss, how…I mean you gonna post it, you want me to come to you or…."

"Your line clean?" Gibbs asked.

"Of course Boss," Tim sounded affronted.

"We're coming to D.C. meet us at the Washington monument 2200hrs three days from now."

"OK Boss." Tim said

* * *

Callen took the phone off Gibbs and sent a quick text.

***on the road with Jim, Going to see Thom…love Huck.***

Gibbs looked at the text…"What?" he asked.

"Hetty's burn-phone it makes no sense to anyone else. But tells her we are leaving LA, she should be able to figure out Thom is Tim by the way I've spelt it, and where we are going, she won't give us away to Parsons, I trust her." Callen said.

Hetty sat in her office as Parsons tried and failed to throw his weight around, the team looked like they were ardently looking for Callen, but she could see, even if Parsons and apparently Granger couldn't that both her team and the two FBI agents were only half heartedly looking for Callen and Gibbs.

She was jolted out of her musings as her cell phone rang.

Looking at the text she quickly shot a message back.

***Injun Joe still being kept busy, what ETA?***

She waited putting her phone in her drawer so as not to alert anyone else.

She heard it vibrate and looked at the answer.

***Three days, 2200 under the cross.***

She was a bit confused by that one, she had gotten the literary elements of the text, Huck was of course Callen, and Jim was Jethro and Thom….with the H…had to be Thom E. Gemcity, their own Mr. McGee…two days well it took about that time to get from Washington D.C. to L.A. by car so they must be going back to Washington…but 2200…under the cross?

She sat back with a smile, The Washington monument; she had had a conversation with Callen once about how Iconic the monument had seemed to her when she was a little girl and how she thought it was half of Jesus' cross. Until her teacher had put her straight. She was pleased and surprised he had remembered that analogy, it warmed her to think that Callen had listened to her when she talked, sometimes she thought he just zoned out.

* * *

Callen threw his bag into the truck as Gibbs walked out of the room.

"You hear from Hetty?" He asked.

"Yep. She knows…Not sure what she's planning to do though."

Gibbs climbed into the driver's seat as Callen got in. "You sure about this, you can still go back you know, tell that Granger guy I coerced you."

"Dad…" Callen's throat constricted, his years of abandonment fighting up past his barriers. "If you want me to go…I..I will, but…" He couldn't say anymore.

"Son, I will NEVER ever leave you again, I just wanted to give you a way to get out of this mess if you wanted."

"Yeah coz I'll give myself up and then magically disappear off of Parsons Kill list." Callen snapped.

Gibbs realized there was no choice they were both in it till the end and he would without hesitation defend his son with his dying breath, he had lost too much to even consider losing his son, now he had found him.

"Ok then, we're making one stop on the way back." Gibbs stated.

Callen looked at him intrigued but said nothing; he just unwrapped a tootsie pop from his bag and settled back for the ride.

* * *

38 hours later after taking turns driving Gibbs pulled the truck up outside a general store in a small town.

Callen stretched his legs and looked around. It was a small town, he looked across the road, there was a sheriff's office, which was closed, at four am it would be. There was a small light in the back of the store, but no sign of a motel.

"Dad. Why are we here, it's only another four hours to D.C. we can drive right through?" Callen asked.

Gibbs smirked and knocked on the door to the store and stood back as the light went on and an older man shuffled to unlock the door.

"Leroy?" Jackson Gibbs said as he wiped the sleep from his eyes. "I had the FBI looking for you…you ok?"

Gibbs smiled "Sure Dad…Just dropping by on my way back to D.C, figured we could spend a day with you?"

"We…you got hitched again son?" Jackson asked.

"Not exactly….Nico!" Gibbs called as Callen looked up from behind the truck where he'd been tying his shoes.

"Huh?" Callen replied with a yawn,

"Got someone I want you to meet,"

Callen picked up his bag and walked warily towards the older man, "Sure."

"Jackson Gibbs…My father" Gibbs said pointing to the older man, " Meet Nicolai Callen Gibbs, my son."

"Your…?!" Both men said at the same time.

Callen looked at the man and backed off as his gazed grew darker as he added up an estimate of how old the boy was.

"You told me…?" Jackson growled.

Callen turned and walked to the truck, "When you're done Gibbs, we'll head out I'll be waiting in the truck. Nice to meet you." He said to Jackson and walked away.

Jackson turned and walked into the store.

* * *

"DAD!" Gibbs growled.

"You told me you didn't have any children with that woman…YOU LIED!" Jackson snapped.

"Yeah…yeah I did…Dad, I thought they were dead, if you knew how he grew up…"

Jackson put a mug of coffee on the table, "You had better call him in, I suppose you'll be wanting breakfast,"

"He won't come." Gibbs said knowing exactly what was on his son's mind.

"Why not, too proud to come into a small store like this." Jackson snapped.

"God! Dad! If you had any idea…" Gibbs growled, he turned to his father, "My son's been alone and rejected his whole life I just found out by accident that he is my son…he was pleased to hear he finally had family and you did that!" he turned and walked to the door. "Sorry to have woken you." He said putting his hand on the door.

"Wait…I'm just tired, do you think he will forgive me?" Jackson asked.

Gibbs shrugged and headed to the door, "I'll ask."

* * *

Callen looked away as Gibbs walked to the door of the truck and opened the door.

"Out." Gibbs said.

'Fuck' Callen thought, 'now neither of them want you.'

"Yes sir." Callen snapped, he grabbed his bag and started walking in the direction of D.C.

Gibbs stood at the truck and watched as Callen walked off. Jackson walking up behind him lay a hand on Gibbs' shoulder, "That there…if nothing else, proves he's your son."

"HEY!" Gibbs yelled and Callen turned. "Store's this way." He said and waited as Callen walked towards him.

Gibbs opened the door as Callen walked inside. He stood just inside the door and waited.

Both his father and grandfather looked at him.

"Look I got it, I screwed up…I was leaving Gibbs." Callen tried to defend himself.

"Exactly how did you screw up?" Jackson asked.

Callen shrugged, "Being born?"

Jackson looked at the boy; this was his grandson, his chance at a second chance… He reminded him of his son a lot and he wasn't going to throw this gift away.

* * *

"Sit down son, I am sorry, you were just a shock." Jackson explained.

Callen let out a small smile, "I get that a lot." He said, without letting his guard down he sat with his back to the wall facing the door.

Jackson raised an eyebrow and handed him a mug of coffee.

"So how old are you son?" Jackson asked.

"43 Sir," Callen said, he was a grown man he felt like he was meeting new foster parents again.

Jackson smiled, "So…69? 70?"

"March 1970." Callen answered.

"After you got back then Leroy?" Jackson asked as Gibbs walked in with his own drink and sat at the pine table in the middle of the store.

"Yep, I was told they were all dead, it was a lie, Clara, Nico's mother died on a beach in Romania when he was four, Amelia his big sister died in august '78 in Los Angeles." Gibbs explained.

"So how did you get to the US Nico?" Jackson asked.

Callen shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know sir, up until I found out Gibbs was my father, I didn't even know my own name."

"You didn't?" Jackson looked surprised, "What were you called until then?"

"G… or Callen," He said, despite their first meeting he found himself warming out to the older man.

"So son, what do you do for a living?" Jackson asked.

"I work for NCIS…or well I did?" Callen admitted, "Kinda…undercover right now." He grinned shooting and smirk at his dad who rolled his eyes.

"You worked with Leroy?"

"On and off, lived together for three months in Serbia, when I was with the CIA." He admitted.

"And you never knew?" Jackson was stunned.

"Nope, I didn't know my parents' names or anything about my family, so it never came up."

"So, your people, the ones who raised you…were they nice?" Jackson asked.

Callen got up, "Do you have a bathroom, and 38 hours in a car takes its toll." He grinned.

"End of the hall." Jackson indicated the way and Callen walked off.

* * *

"Did I upset him?" he asked Gibbs.

"Callen's never talked about his past, but from what I hear and the way he acts, it wasn't all that nice, I think he was abused as a kid, I left him to that Dad…it was my fault."

"For goodness sake, Dad!" Callen snapped walking back in, "What is this, a pity fest! Look, my life was what it was…no big deal, some places were good, most weren't… I survived and finally found you."

Jackson looked at his son and grandson and could see the tiredness on their faces, "Look, boys I don't know why you decided to drive for 38 hours straight, but ya both look beat, I put you in your old room Leroy and Nico…You can take my bed?"

"I'm fine sir," Callen said as he pulled out a bed roll, "I can sleep anywhere."

Jackson put his hand on Callen's shoulder as he turned him towards his room, "Sure son, if you want…and …call me Grandpa."

 


	8. Chapter 8

Tony lay on his bed in the motel room as Ziva sat on a chair facing him.

"I don't get it, Gibbs' message. Rule 14 is better than rule 16?" Tony said looking at the ceiling.

"Well," Ziva said looking at her partner, "Rule 14, is don't believe what you are told double check."

"And rule 16 is; If someone thinks they have the upper hand…break it." Tony supplied.

"So the question is who does this apply to…Hetty and her team?" Ziva asked.

Tony thought about it, "It would apply for rule 14, but not 16…But Parsons…"

"We both want to break him, so maybe we double check him, and the Director Patterson." Ziva supplied.

Tony opened his laptop and started typing in all the information they had. "We could call Hetty and see if she had any information?" Ziva offered.

"We can't they don't know we are on Gibbs' side and we really can't be seen to be taking sides right now."

"Do you have anything?" Ziva asked.

"No….I….hold on I have an email from McGee." Tony said. He opened the email and read it and then deleted the whole thing.

"Tim says we need to get, Sam, Kensi and Deeks from LA and to come to D.C on the redeye and meet him at Gibbs' house as soon as possible."

"How are we going to get the team to come with us?" Ziva asked.

"Rule 7." Tony said with a grin. As he got up and packed his bag.

* * *

Callen's eyes snapped open and he sat up with a start as he heard a noise.

"A might jumpy ain't ya son?" Jackson said as he looked in on his grandson.

"Sorry," Callen said,

"I brought ya an extra blanket." Jackson said.

"Why?" Callen asked.

"You're from L.A. it's a bit colder here in Pennsylvania." Jackson said; he stopped as he looked at the man who still looked confused. "I thought you might be cold." He explained.

Callen shrugged and just moved up his bedroll and pulled his coat over himself, "I'm fine thanks."

Jackson sighed and sat on the unused bed.

"Please forgive an old man." Jackson said to him.

"For what?" Callen looked confused again.

"For not making you welcome when you arrived." Jackson said.

"Most people don't," Callen said matter of factly, "It's not your fault, Dad didn't tell you about me, I can see how suddenly having a 43 year old grandson can be a bit of a shock, but you don't have to tell anyone, I can be gone first thing in the morning, you'll never have to think about me again."

He turned and faced the window, the back yard looked really inviting and he really wished he was there right now.

* * *

"I…I am proud to be your grandpa, your dad told me all he knew about you, you should know, if either of us knew about you, you wouldn't have had to grow up alone." He said.

Callen turned, he knew it would seem like a snub, but he didn't want the older man to see him cry and think less of him. "I would have liked that." He said quietly.

"So, do you remember your mother?"Jackson asked.

Callen shrugged, "I was with her when she died…" he said softly.

"I'm sorry son, was she sick?" he looked at the utter devastation in his grandson's face and instantly regretted asking the question.

"She was murdered." Callen said flatly. "I was playing on a beach in Romania, by the black sea, Momma… Momma was waiting for some people to take us somewhere safe and a man gave me a toy, a lead soldier while another man shot her between the eyes…it was my first memory." He said looking out of the window and at the pasture behind the back yard.

"I'm sorry son." Jackson said again.

"Not your fault, you didn't kill her." Callen wanted to tell him to keep his nose out, but this man was family, "Tell me about Dad, what was he like growing up?"

"He was stubborn, as stubborn as they come, he loved nature and the woods, loves woodworking, and building things with his hands he's always been tactile." Jackson said and stopped as Callen laughed, just a small one, but it was there.

"I don't sleep; I take things apart at night." Callen admitted realizing this was another way he was just like his father.

"You have his eyes, and his smile," Jackson noted smiling at the boy.

* * *

Callen turned and carefully reached out for the blanket that Jackson had left on the bed and draped it around his shoulders.

"Grandpa?" He asked trying out the unfamiliar word.

"Yes son," Jackson said.

"What was Kelly like?" Callen had wanted to know but hadn't wanted to ask Gibbs.

Jackson smiled, "She was a pretty little thing, she was really smart and Leroy loved her very much, he was a great father to her, he and Shannon doted on her."

"Do you think…..?" Callen started to ask but then clammed up.

"Do I think?" Jackson prompted hearing a board creak and knowing Leroy was listening outside the door.

"Do you think if dad had known about me…they would have lo...liked me?" he asked.

"I know they would have loved you, Leroy already loves you so much, you can tell by the way he looks at you, he loves to totally and is so proud to be your father."

Callen let out a sad smile, "It might be nice after all…" he mused to himself. "I did always wonder…Grandpa. It's ok if you don't but, Can I please…be a part of your family?" he felt the need to ask, he knew he sounded young and insecure, but that was exactly how he felt.

Jackson knew then exactly what he needed to do, "Come here." He opened his arms and Callen looked at him, "I want to welcome my grandson home properly." He said and hugged him.

Gibbs looked in the door at his father and son and smiling went to his own room, and for the first time in months he slept.

* * *

As he got up the next morning Gibbs came down to find Callen packed with a huge grin on his face sitting at the breakfast table looking at a plate of bacon, eggs sausages and pancakes; drinking a mug of coffee.

"What you smirking at?" he asked his son.

"Eat up Leroy, we have a long ride ahead of us." Jackson said putting a plate in front of his son.

"That." Callen grinned.

"No, No way, Dad! You are not coming with us."

"Leroy Jethro Gibbs, This madman was responsible for the cover up that took your first wife and family away from you, I didn't stand by you then, but I will now, I won't get into trouble, but I am not abandoning you or my grandson now you need me. Now eat your breakfast son." Jackson said and sat down.

Gibbs glared at Callen, "Don't look at me, I had this conversation with him, I didn't win either." Callen said with a laugh.

"Fine." Gibbs sighed and tucked into his breakfast.

Callen got his phone out,  **'Huck and Jim on the road with Pappy, off to see Thom later.'**  He wrote and sent the text.

Jackson glanced at the message.

"Tom Sawyer?" he asked.

Callen laughed "No, The adventures of Huck Finn, I hated Tom Sawyer, I identified with Huck. Just keeping my boss apprised of the situation."

"She will understand that?" he asked.

"Hetty probably knew we were meeting you and you were coming before you did…she's creepy that way." Callen admitted. "A four foot ninja with a heart of gold, best boss ever." He admitted.

An hour later, all three Gibbs men were headed to Washington D.C. and a meeting with McGee.

 


	9. Chapter 9

Tim woke up buzzing, finally something other than walking the dog and writing to do. He looked up at the time, Gibbs would be back in Washington D.C. in a few hours, and then it was a case of eluding Parsons and meeting up with him.

He hated hiding the fact that Gibbs was coming and he couldn't tell Abby, she was going crazy missing him. She went to his house most nights and sitting in his basement.

* * *

It was the middle of the day when the Gibbs men all arrived at the house; they sat in the car down the block making sure that the house was empty.

"Gimme five minutes." Callen said and jumped out of the truck.

"Nico!" Gibbs called as left, Callen turned smirked and slinked off.

Jackson grinned, "He looks a lot like you son, you must be proud of him."

"I am dad, I just wish I had known who he was years ago, and we wasted so much time." Gibbs said ruefully. "All that he went through as a child, he told me years ago, before I knew he was my son and I was shocked then."

"You can't blame yourself for that, the past is the past and mistakes were made, but you need to be a father to him now."

Callen opened the door and sat down in the truck.

"No feds and the house is empty." Callen said, "Your neighbors say that the feds stopped watching the house a week ago, something about you being in Los Angeles."

"You talked to my neighbors?"

"Yep…Told 'em I was looking to buy round here." Callen smirked, "They like you, and they are hoping you come back soon."

"Good." Gibbs parked up in front of his house.

They got up to the door and Callen looked at it holding his hand out, "Someone's been here,"

Gibbs smiled, "Abby, probably every day after work."

He opened the door and they walked in Gibbs looked around, it was tidier than when he had left, "Yep Abby's been here, Parsons trashed the place. She's fixed it back up."

"Nice, so Dad, Grandpa…coffee?"

Both men smiled, "Of course."

Callen looked through the cupboards, "You got less in your cupboards than I have in my house."

Jackson looked up in surprise, "You don't have anything in your house?" he asked his grandson.

Callen shrugged, "Nope."

"I'll head to the store; I doubt anyone is looking for me." Jackson offered.

* * *

Callen sank into the couch and stuck his feet on the coffee table.

Gibbs brought him out a mug and knocked his feet off the table, "Dad!" Callen protested,

"You buy your own coffee table and you can put your feet on it." Gibbs smiled at his son, "Although you may have to get a couch to go with it."

Callen rolled his eyes and sipped the hot liquid. He sighed and leaned back. "Nice."

"I'm going upstairs, I need to unpack and I need a shower." Gibbs told him.

Callen nodded, he knew tonight would be hard, they were going to find McGee and give him the flash drive, he couldn't believe the feds were not watching the house and as Gibbs had his shower, he found himself searching for bugs.

"You know, I did that." Callen jumped as a voice came from behind him.

"Tim! I thought we were meeting you later?" Callen said turning to meet the younger man.

Tim laughed "The only bug left here is mine; it lets me know if anyone has come in the house. Feds haven't been around since an anonymous source told them Gibbs was heading to Seattle's Washington."

"And who did that?" Callen grinned.

Tim looked at him but said nothing. "Is Gibbs with you?" he asked.

"Yep, in the shower, Jackson will be back soon, he's headed to the store."

Tim sat on the stairs as he heard movement upstairs, "Nico, is your Grandpa back?"

Tim looked around and was surprised as Callen got up, "Not yet Dad, Tim's here though."

"Dad?" Tim said shocked.

Callen grinned. "Long story, his turn to tell it."

* * *

He sat back as Gibbs came downstairs, "so who you talking to Nico?" he asked still towel drying his hair.

"Me, boss." Tim replied.

"McGee, I thought we weren't meeting you till tonight."

"We weren't but I got hacked last night and when you tripped my bug, I figured either you were back or the Feds hadn't taken my hint. So I came and checked." He said.

Gibbs nodded and pulled on his hoodie, "So you want to look at the flash drive now?" Gibbs asked.

Tim started to speak and then he heard a familiar car pull up, "Maybe in a while, Callen says you have a story to tell us and I know Abby would love to hear it." Tim grinned.

Gibbs sighed and braced himself as 'hurricane' Abby came in through the door and launched herself into Gibbs' arms.

"Gibbs, Gibbs, Gibbs; I missed you so much!" She said crying tears of relief that he was safe. "G. Callen, you brought him back to me, Thank you!" Abby hugged him, not as hard as she hugged Gibbs and not for as long knowing that he didn't like it so much.

Callen smirked and looked out the window, "Grandpa's back." He said and went to open the door.

Abby looked between Gibbs and Callen, "Oh Gibbs, that's so sweet you adopted Callen!" she said.

"Nope," Gibbs said and grabbed a bag from Jackson.

Abby looked confused, "Oh so Jackson…You unofficially adopted Callen then?" she asked.

Callen called from the Kitchen, "Just tell her dad, it's not fair."

Abby sat down, "I…You didn't but he calls you dad?"

Both Tim and Abby looked at their boss expectantly. "You wanna help me out here?" Gibbs called to Callen.

"Nope," Callen called and whispered to Jackson who laughed.

"You both know about Shannon and Kelly, right, well before them I was married to a lady name Clara, she was a local girl from Romania, we had two children, Amy who died when she was eleven and Nico. Amy was buried under the name Hannah Lawson." Gibbs stopped as Abby got up and hugged him.

"The picture of the Tombstone behind your desk, Oh my God, Gibbs that was your daughter!" Abby let her tears fall as she hugged him again. "Did you find your son Nico?" she asked.

"Yep," Gibbs smirked.

"Where? Oh I bet he's cute….I bet he has your eyes, or does he have his mothers?"

Callen walked into the room and looked at Gibbs making a show of bending down so Gibbs could look.

"My eyes, his mothers personality, definitely talks like her," Gibbs grinned.

"DAD!" Callen whined.

Abby looked between the two of them, "You!" she breathed.

"Yep!" Callen smiled

Abby dragged the two of them to the kitchen and got the full story out of the both as Tim got his laptop and started decoding the flash drive that Callen and Gibbs had brought.

* * *

Jackson made them all a meal and they ate while they caught up or worked.

At 20.30 Tim got a text, 'Back in D.C. Parsons pissed. Knows you are meeting the Boss."

At the same time, Hetty sent Callen a Text, "Injun Joe on warpath in D.C. with posse," Callen showed Gibbs who laughed.

Tim still tapped away at the laptop. "Boss, Paterson has a copy of the files pertaining to the events in 1967 he is planning on giving a redacted copy to a Senate committee, they are having Nico named as a spy and putting out a warrant to have him picked up and sent to Guantanamo."

Callen's face dropped, "Why me?"

"Because, you can stop this…I can stop this?" Gibbs suddenly realized. He ran up the stairs to a box he hadn't looked in for years that was stuck in his attic.

He brought it back down; Callen opened it and stopped pulling out a picture of his mother, pregnant, blonde and smiling. "Mama?" he whispered. Gibbs put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

Digging through the paperwork Gibbs suddenly stopped, "Nico…Look!" He pointed to a file, "According to this, Patterson's father worked with Nixon and set up George Callen to take the fall,"

Callen stood up and took his cup to the kitchen.

Tim looked through the paperwork with Gibbs, trying to find out more.

* * *

They stopped as Abby heard her car start up. "Callen!" she yelled running onto the porch. "Gibbs he's stealing my car."

"Damn." Gibbs growled. "McGee, gear up, we are going to have to go to that meet, Text Hetty Lange, get her team on standby. I know my boy is going to do something stupid."

Tim sent off the text and grabbed the papers from the table.

Jackson held Abby as they watched them, "Leroy how do you know he is going to do something stupid?" he said defending his grandson.

"He's part Roma, goddamn Gypsy blood feud!" he growled and stormed out after McGee.

 


	10. Chapter 10

Gibbs jumped into Tim's Challenger, taking the keys from him as he got in the passenger seat. Abby and Jackson stood on the porch watching as the car sped off in the direction of the city.

Tim looked at his boss concerned, "Callen's still an agent isn't he? Would he really do anything to jeopardize that?" he asked.

"Tim Callen's mother was Roma; he takes his blood feuds seriously. What would you do if you knew that your whole life had been destroyed because of one man's actions before you were born?" Gibbs asked.

"But, Boss, he's your son, he has to know that if he kills Parsons or Patterson his job is over, Tony and Ziva will be there and they will have to arrest him. He has to know we will have his back now…I mean boss, he's your son that makes him one of us." Tim said.

Gibbs couldn't resist a grin at his ex-agent's words.

"Well, we'll just have to get there first and make sure he knows it."

* * *

Callen heard them talking in the kitchen, but he couldn't stop the blood rushing through his ears. Patterson had killed his mother and Grandfather over a mistake Patterson's father made. His life had been ruined because of a Patterson and still was being ruined. There was no way he was going to let him live.

He silently dropped the cup in the sink and snuck out of the back door.

Abby's car was furthest from the door and nearest to the road, he quickly picked the lock and hotwired the car, he knew that Patterson would have talked to Parsons by now and would probably be at the fake meeting place that his dad and Tim had arranged. So he floored the gas and headed in that direction.

He arrived with 30mins to spare.

He cleaned his gun and checked his ammunition after parking Abby's car down an alley and locking it back up. He sat on the hood for a second and sent her a text with the location of the car, he looked at the phone. Sighing he sent one more message.

***I'm sorry and thank you.***

He knew Hetty would get the message, she had been there for him over the years and he knew that she would be disappointed in him, but when he had gone against the Comescu's he'd had no idea who had really been behind his mother's death…now he knew and he was going to pay.

Callen desperately tried to remember what his mother and sister looked like, he knew he was avenging them and the grandfather he had never met, or at least he didn't remember. He sent a silent prayer heavenwards and hoped that his mother would help him in his task.

His phone rang, he looked at the display, 'Hetty'; he looked at the display and ran his finger over the name and then hit the reject button and took the battery out of the phone and left it on the hood of the car, tucking his gun into holster at the back of his pants he headed off.

* * *

Hetty was sat in her office as Granger griped about how Callen had gone rogue and how it was due to her lapse in security.

She took another sip of her tea as her cell phone rang, putting her cup down she looked at the display, 'Huck' she smiled, hoping it was another update.

Looking at the text she paled and dropped her cup.

"Henrietta?" Granger asked concerned as she slumped in the chair. "Eric, call 911!" He called as Eric looked over the balcony.

"No…" Hetty said. "I'll be ok…Eric I need you to trace Callen, now."

"Er…How?" Eric asked.

Hetty took a flash drive from her handbag, "Use this." She said and she and Granger followed Eric back to ops.

"What is this?" Nell asked as Eric handed her the flash drive.

"As you know Mr. Callen has a habit of disappearing, he has, for a long time had a tracking chip inside him, I have always trusted his judgment, but now it seems he has decided to do something rash." She said.

Nell looked at Hetty "How long have you had a tracking chip in him…are we chipped?" she asked concerned.

"No…and a very long time," Hetty said as Nell's fingers swept across the keyboard running the program on the flash drive.

"Hetty, this is a very old program…1986?" Nell said.

"Yes…Steve was very helpful." Hetty said absently.

Nell and Eric looked at each other, 'Steve Jobs?' they mouthed.

"You chipped Callen in '86?"

Hetty sighed, "He kept running away, so when he had his appendix out, the chip went in," she explained.

Eric and Nell looked at each other stunned.

The program was basic by today's standards but it did the job, "He's in D.C…..Near the Monument."

"Get me Gibbs," Hetty said handing Eric another number.

Eric typed the number and soon the sound of a phone ringing was heard throughout Ops.

"Gibbs."

"It's Hetty, what is your boy up to, he's near the monument at D.C.?"

"How do you know?"

"I've had him chipped since 1986; I thought the plan was that none of you would be there and that Agent McGee would arrive with the information to take Parsons down?"

"He will; has your team arrived yet to help with the takedown?" Gibbs asked.

"They are enroute; Agent Hanna is in charge, how does Callen going off grid change this?" Hetty asked.

"It doesn't, I will deal with Nico when I get there, He found out that Patterson's father is responsible for Clara's death, I will make sure this goes down as planned, Nic will be fine….and Hetty, when this is over that chip comes out." Gibbs hung up.

"This was a plan?" Granger looked astounded.

Hetty smiled, "Of course, you thought I would let things get so out of hand Owen?"

Granger looked at her with a newfound respect, he still didn't have a firm grasp on what was going on, but he somehow knew things would be ok.

* * *

Deeks looked at his watch as he followed Kensi and Sam off the plane, "We have an hour, are we going to make it, I mean, we still have to get a car and find this monument thingy?"

Both Sam and Kensi looked at him, "You've never seen the Washington monument?"

Deeks shrugged, "Never went on the school trip," He blew it off, "So what car did Hetty book us?" he asked changing the subject.

They walked to the Rent-A-Car booth and picked up the keys to a 2011 Impala. Climbing in Sam hit the Sat-Nav and they headed to the monument.

Taking their spots they settled down waiting for Tony and Ziva to show with Parsons.

Leaning back drinking his coffee Sam nearly choked as he saw Callen in the shadows across from the monument.

"I thought Callen and Gibbs were sitting this part out?" Sam said to Kensi.

"He is, we are to arrest Patterson and Parsons when they hand off the copy of Gibbs' files, Tony made sure that Parsons would find them earlier."

"So why the hell is Callen here then?" Sam growled.

Tony pulled up with Ziva and Parsons in a dark sedan.

"Crap!" Sam swore as Callen started to move.

Parsons got out the flash drive Tony had found in LA, and put it safe and sound in his pocket, Patterson was due to be here in a few minutes, Parsons would pass off the information and then his job would be over.

"Give me a few minutes; just keep an eye out for Gibbs and Callen." Parsons ordered He knew that Gibbs and his son were probably hiding somewhere; there was no way he'd show his face in D.C.

* * *

Patterson's limo parked up the block and the Director walked along the block right past Callen.

Stepping out behind him Patterson stopped in sight of Parsons; he felt the cold steel against his neck. "You're a dead man," Callen whispered softly into his ear.

"You have no idea who I am?" Patterson growled, "My bodyguards will take you out."

Callen chuckled, "Do you see them, I took them out just after you got out of your car…look." He turned Patterson and behind Callen the two Agents assigned to protect him where out cold in the alley behind him.

"C…Callen…I…you are still an agent, I have other agents that will arrest you." Patterson stammered.

"I don't care as long as you're dead." Callen said his voice flat.

Parsons noticed Patterson stopping and motioned to Tony and Ziva to follow him, "Something's wrong." Parsons said as he saw Tim and Gibbs' car screech to a halt in front of Patterson.

"DIRECTOR!" Parsons yelled running at him.

Callen moved and was illuminated under a streetlight. His movements' fluid and his gaze cold, as his team ran over Sam pulled up when he realized that Callen had a gun at the neck of the director of the FBI.

Sam pulled his gun, "G, you need to put the gun down, this was not part of the plan."

"Stuff the plan, Sam, it's all his fault, everything that happened to me, he did it, he got her…K… killed" Callen's breaths were hitching and Sam could hear the pain in his voice.

"Agent Callen drop the gun," Parsons said pulling his own gun.

"You, you're just as bad, you persecuted my father…did you know that he and my mother were innocent, they had done nothing my father was sent to the US and Amy and I were left all alone, all because Patterson's father wanted recognition and Nixon wanted a war to continue, A STUPID WAR!"

Patterson moved an inch away from Callen and that was all Parsons needed he let a shot off and Callen swayed back as the bullet hit his shoulder.

Gibbs stood in horror as he watched his son fall to the ground.

This was not supposed to happen.

 


	11. Chapter 11

As Callen started to fall, Tim glanced at Gibbs; the look of devastation on his face was palpable. He reached over and put his hand gently on Gibbs' gun, "It won't help Boss." He said quietly.

"NO!" Gibbs all but screamed, he ran across the space between Patterson and Parsons, ignoring the looks on everyone faces and fell to his knees beside his boy.

He grabbed the hard drive out of his pocket and threw it at Patterson, "You've taken everything else, have it, just have it!" he yelled. He turned to Parsons, "You've won, finish it….Shoot me….Shoot me!" Gibbs yelled; Tony and Ziva turned their guns on Parsons as did the LA team.

Deeks picked up the flash drive and looked at it, "Think Nell and Eric could get enough off this to arrest Patterson and Parsons?" he asked.

Sam nodded, "Yeah."

* * *

"Dad…." Callen whispered, "You do know I'm not dead…right?"

Gibbs hadn't even considered that possibility and had jumped when Callen had laid his bloody hand on his dad's coat.

Gibbs turned on his knees and clasped Callen to him, "Nic…Nic…my boy, I thought I'd lost you too!" he cried rocking back and forth with his son in his arms.

"I…I screwed up dad, sorry…" Callen's eyes closed.

"Where's that damn ambulance." Gibbs growled.

Tim walked over to Tony and Ziva, "You two want to take them in, we'll be at Bethesda, you had better pick up Abby and Jack on the way." He said,

"Yes Boss." Tony said automatically and then glowered as he realized who he had just said that too.

Tim beamed, "Not yet, DiNozzo….but someday, maybe." He turned back to helping Gibbs with Callen.

Sam, Kensi and Deeks walked over to where Callen had fallen. He had taken two shots, one in the shoulder and one a bit closer to the heart.

"You're going to have to stop getting shot G." Sam said,

"Sorry." Callen cracked a small smile; He looked up at Gibbs, "Dad? Why are you crying?"

Gibbs wiped his eyes and turned back to his son, "It's ok Nicolai, you'll be ok." He said grasping his hand as the paramedics turned up.

* * *

Tom Mitchell got his bag and ran to the young man on the floor, "Can I get some room plea…." He started and stopped as everyone, except the young man on the floor pulled a gun on him.

"Woah!" he said and stepped back.

They all lowered their guns, "Sorry, Federal Agents," the young woman said. They all moved out of the way.

"Hi, I'm Tom Mitchell. What happened to you then?" he asked.

"He got shot." Deeks said,

Tom nodded wondering briefly if any of them had pulled the trigger. He started patching up Callen's wounds to get him moved to the hospital.

"What's his name?" Tom asked as Callen had lapsed into unconsciousness again.

"Callen,"

"Nicolai,"

"G." Came three different answers at once.

"Oh a man of mystery, So you guys want to pick one?" He asked again.

"Callen." All three said at once.

Tom nodded, "Ok Callen, this is going to hurt a bit, I need to get you on the gurney, Sam can you help!" Tom called, His partner, Samantha Regan walked around the corner, just as the big, African American man stood forward.

"Sure," he said, "How did you know my name?"

Tom grinned and introduced the female paramedic, "Sam Regan, apparently this is Sam," He said pointing to the large man, "And this is Callen, he's our star for today."

Sam Regan bent over and took position to help lift Callen onto the gurney. "Come on rock star, your public awaits." She said

"I'm coming." Gibbs said,

"You are?" Tom asked.

"His father." Gibbs said, "We're going to Bethesda grab your gear, meet us there." Gibbs ordered the others.

"On it boss." Tim said; the others followed.

"Actually we're going to Georgetown….er Bethesda?" Tom changed his mind at the glare.

Gibbs climbed in and held onto Callen tightly, "Can I use this?" Gibbs asked as he pulled his phone out.

Tom nodded, "He's stable right now, it shouldn't affect anything."

Gibbs dialed his phone, "Hetty, Gibbs….It's over, they are in Custody, Nic's been hurt…we are on our way to Bethesda now, can you let Vance know." He closed the phone and opened it to dial one number.

"Ducky, I need you, Bethesda." He closed the phone again as the lights of Bethesda hospital came into view.

* * *

Gibbs was pacing up and down in the waiting room as Jackson and Abby arrived. Abby launched herself at Gibbs, "Gibbs, Gibbs, Gibbs….How is he?" She asked.

Gibbs hugged her and turned to both her and his father, "I don't know, it was bad he was losing consciousness in the ambulance."

"But he's been through worse I mean, he got shot five times before," Abby said.

"He got shot twice but one was closer to his heart than the other." Gibbs said finally his legs gave out and he sat on a bench.

Jackson put his arm around his son, "He'll be alright Leroy."

"Dad, I didn't know, I've known him for so long, but I didn't know. How could I not, he is so much like his mother, he has my eyes, He was alone for so long, Dad what if I lose him….I…I can't do it not again, I can't bury another child."

Gibbs placed his head in his hands, Jackson couldn't hear him making a sound but he knew, by the way his son's shoulders were shaking, his boy was crying.

It wasn't long before, Tony, Ziva, Vance and Ducky arrived all at the same time.

"Sit Rep." Gibbs growled.

"Turned 'em over to the boss, boss." Tony said shooting a 'what did I just say?' look at Ziva who grinned at him, "I mean Fornell's got them, now that's over can we quit?" He asked looking hopefully at Vance.

"I still got your badges in my desk, never got around to cleaning it out." Vance admitted. "So I hear Agent Callen was injured in the apprehending of our suspects."

Gibbs nodded,

"Miss Lange is his next of kin, I will arrange for her to fly out." Leon said, "As soon as we know his condition, I take it his team are here as well."

Leon looked past Gibbs to his Los Angeles team, "Agent Hanna. I take it you're acting as medical proxy for Agent Callen until Hetty can get here?" He asked walking past Gibbs.

"No?" Sam was confused. "Why would I?"

"You're his partner? Is no one acting as my Agents' proxy?" Leon asked.

"I am Leon." Gibbs said.

* * *

The doctor came out; "Family of Nicolai Callen-Gibbs?" She said.

Leon and Ducky, the only two out of the loop looked on in surprise, "Here, I'm his father and this is his grandfather." Gibbs said pointing to Jackson.

"As you know he was shot twice, he lost a lot of blood, we have given him a transfusion and his condition has stabilized. The bullet near his heart was the one that gave us the most cause for concern. I noticed, he had been shot before, Do you know where he was treated a copy of his medical records would be most helpful."

Sam walked up with a flash drive attached to a key ring. "Here, Callen's medical records.  **You**  don't get to keep these, most of this is classified." He said.

Gibbs looked at him, "After he was shot last time, we agreed that I would keep a full read-only copy of his medical records, seeing as when he is shot I'm usually with him." Sam explained.

"Nic, get shot a lot on your watch?" Gibbs growled, maybe he could convince Vance to move his son to D.C.

Sam let it ride.

"When can we see him?" Sam asked,

"Family only," The doctor said; everyone stood up. Being a military hospital she was used to this when Seal teams or Special Forces were here. She smiled, "Biological family only for today, the rest of you can take turns tomorrow."

Gibbs stood up and Jackson followed.

Sam grabbed his arm, "Make sure you tell him, this isn't his fault and that you're not going anywhere." He said.

"I'm not." Gibbs insisted.

"Yeah I know, but make sure you  **tell**  him."

Gibbs nodded and slowly he and Jackson made their way back to his son's room.

 


	12. Chapter 12

Gibbs walked down the corridor and stopped as he pushed the door open a crack; Callen lay there, still sleepy, the meds passing through his system making him groggy.

"Nico?" Gibbs said opening the door.

Callen didn't answer he kept looking through the window, his eyes drooping from the morphine.

"Hey, son." Gibbs said again sitting next to his bed.

"Gibbs?" Callen looked confused. "What are you doing here; I thought you were going back to Washington?"

"Nico?" Gibbs shot Jackson a worried look, as Callen blinked a few times and caught up to what was going on.

"You're….you're my dad…you really are my dad? It wasn't a dream?" he asked.

Gibbs nodded, "It wasn't a dream son,"

Callen smiled tears flooding down his eyes, "I thought it was a dream again, that I didn't really have a dad, I've had that dream so often then I've woken up alone."

"You're not alone now." Jackson said.

"Grandpa?" Callen asked and Jackson nodded.

Callen moved his hand over his mouth and turned away, "Are you ok son?"

Callen nodded, "Just waiting…."

"For what?" Gibbs asked.

"For you to leave, for me to wake up and find out I'm still a kid hiding in a closet of a foster home and that this was all a dream." He said, the morphine loosening his tongue more than it meant to.

Gibbs moved onto the bed and gently lifted Callen into a sitting position and cradled his son's head in his lap, "It's not a dream son, you sleep and I'll be here when you wake."

"You always say that….please let this be real, Gibbs I want you to be my dad so much, I want a grandpa and a name, I want to be a real person with a family….it's all I ever wanted." Callen said sleepily as he started to go back to sleep the meds finally pulling him back under, "If not, this is one of the nicest dreams I've had….." he said and finally slept.

Jackson and Gibbs looked at each other as Callen fell back to sleep.

"When you said it was awful son, I thought you were exaggerating." Jackson told his son.

"I wasn't but I don't think he told me all of it either," Gibbs sighed, "Dad, how do I fix this?" he asked.

"I don't think you do son, just be his father, and be there for him, we'll all be here for him, his family. Not just you and me, but your team, his team. It's obvious by the way they are camped out in the waiting room they all care for him."

Gibbs smiled, his father was right. The nightmare was finally over, all it needed was for Callen to heal and him to be reinstated at his job and for Callen to get his job back and everything would be as it was before. No it would be better than before, at least for Gibbs and Callen.

Gibbs leant back against the headboard and closed his eyes relaxing in the feel of his only son in his arms, alive and soon to be healthy.

* * *

Gibbs was roused from his sleep by a disturbance in the hall outside, "I don't care if it's family only, he's my best friend, and if Gibbs is in there then I need to be too!" A man's voice growled in the corridor. "I'm FBI, just move aside son."

There was a response from the man outside the door and the voice rose again.

"I'm in my bloody PJ's, where in the Hell am I supposed to keep my credentials!" the voice asked incredulously

Jackson looked at Gibbs who gave his dad an apologetic grin, he gently slipped Callen's head onto the pillow and moved to the chair, and even fast asleep Callen's hand shot out and grabbed his dad's jacket, "Don't go." He mumbled still asleep.

"I'm not going anywhere son." Gibbs said, "Dad, let him in before he wakes the whole hospital."

Jackson opened the door and stepped out into the hall. "You wanna keep your voice down son."

"Sorry, it's just, I'm a friend of Gibbs' I heard he was shot and was in here, I just needed to see if he's ok, please."

Jackson nodded, "Come in son,"

Jackson walked in and moved aside and Gibbs looked up to see a disheveled looking Tobias Fornell in pajamas, dressing gown and slippers. Looking worried, the man's face looked surprised as he realized that Gibbs wasn't the one in the bed.

"Jethro… I heard you were shot?" Tobias said.

"Not me, my boy." Gibbs said looking at Callen.

"Who's that?" Fornell asked, "You got a new Probie?"

Gibbs grinned, "Nope, this is my son, Nic. Nicolai Callen Gibbs…Works for NCIS, Special projects out of Los Angeles." He said proudly.

Fornell listened in awe, his eyes going wide, "Callen…THE Callen, the legend, the one they still talk about at the CIA?" he asked in a hushed voice.

Gibbs grinned even wider. "Yep."

"Wow." Tobias sat on a chair, "And you've known about him how long?"

Gibbs shrugged, "'Bout a week." He said and was shocked to realize the son he loved so much had indeed only been his son for about a week, it seemed like far longer.

"Known me for years dad." Callen said tiredly as he woke up.

"Hey kiddo." Gibbs said with a smile as Callen glared at him.

"Yep, your son." Tobias confirmed.

* * *

Callen noticed the other man in the room and started.

Gibbs lay a hand on his son's arm "It's ok Nic, this is an old friend of mine, Tobias Fornell."

"Fornell? The FBI guy, the one you shot?" Callen asked.

Gibbs looked at Fornell apologetically. "Didn't kill ya." He said by way of an apology.

Fornell shrugged, "I suppose, I should be grateful. But gotta ask Jethro, you don't miss, why am I still alive?"

"Diane." Gibbs said like it explained everything.

And it did, at least between the two old friends, Fornell's face broke into a grin as the Elder and youngest Gibbs' in the room looked confused.

Fornell started laughing, "So….So I'm alive because you didn't want to face Diane or have to pay alimony again?" He laughed.

"There are worse things than jail Tobias." Gibbs sighed.

Fornell held onto his wounded shoulder as he laughed so hard he struggled to breathe. "Y…You…wait…till I tell her."

"You wouldn't!" Gibbs glared at him.

Fornell smirked "….Maybe…." he replied.

Callen moved himself into a sitting position, "Dad who's Diane?"

"Ex-Wife." Both men said.

"Whose?" Callen asked.

"His…." Both men pointed to each other.

"Have I got concussion?" Callen asked slowly.

The two old friends looked at each other and laughed and it was to this laughter that Callen's team entered the room.

* * *

"Hey G!" Sam said walking in, "You having a party?" He asked.

"Maybe now you're here." Callen said smiling,

Kensi walked over and kissed his cheek, "How are you feeling Callen?" she asked.

Callen stretched a bit and winced, "I'm a bit sore, but feeling better…I think…am I fired?" he asked the group.

Sam shook his head, "Na, Hetty has you marked as undercover…again…she said one more lone wolf thing and she's gonna get you a collar."

Callen lay back as Gibbs handed him some water.

"So, you in here long?" Deeks asked. "We don't get to stay, Hetty wants us back by tomorrow, and we're to get on a plane as soon as we let her know you're not dead."

"Thanks," Callen replied.

"So I take it you're not dead?" Deeks asked as Kensi elbowed him.

Callen laughed, "No Deeks, not dead."

Sam handed Callen a tablet as a voice from it said, "I am very pleased to hear that Mr. Gibbs." Hetty said.

"Callen, I'm sticking with Callen…I think, for work anyway." Callen replied looking into the tablet and seeing Hetty, with Eric and Nell in the background, "Gibbs will be for off duty."

"Duly noted, Mr. Callen, I am glad you are well. Mr. Hanna has already filled me in on the situation with Parsons and Patterson, both have been arrested and charged, Mr. DiNozzo and Ms. David have resigned from the FBI I can only assume both are reapplying to NCIS as we speak. You and your father are free men, all charges dropped." Hetty said with a smile.

"And Granger?" Callen asked.

"Granger is pissed, Agent Callen, not only do you owe me for dropping a fire extinguisher on my head, but I would have appreciated being read in." Owen said walking into view, "Be that as it may, well done Agent Callen."

Callen smirked. "Thanks."

"So Mr. Callen, When will you be back?" Hetty asked.

"I have some sick leave and some annual leave, right?" Callen asked.

"According to you records, you are signed off for a month until your wounds heal and Desk duty for four months after that…You also have four months of leave."

"So…Five month's right?" Callen asked.

Hetty nodded, "It would seem so Mr. Callen," She smiled knowing exactly where this was going.

"Hetty, I hate desk duty, and I have a family now…Can you fill in the paperwork for my leave to cover the four months, I'll stay in DC with my dad, do the therapy and re-qualify here before I come back and can hit the ground running?" Callen asked.

Hetty held up a piece of paper, "Just needs a signature, I'll send it to Washington, if Mr. Gibbs wouldn't mind passing it on to Leon."

"Not a problem Hetty," Gibbs said.

Hetty nodded and the screen went dead as Eric and Nell waved a quick goodbye.

* * *

Callen lay back with a smile. "Looks like I'm on vacation guys." He said tiredly.

Kensi kissed his forehead again, "Get well soon Callen."

"Yeah, see you in Five months G." Sam said.

Deeks gently patted his hand, "I ain't kissing you…but get well soon Callen."

His team left and Callen look at Gibbs.

"You gonna be ok with this Dad?" Callen asked suddenly worried about staying with Gibbs.

Gibbs shrugged, "You can stay, but you paint your own room."

Callen smiled and fell back to sleep, happy in the knowledge he had family around him.

 


	13. Chapter 13

Callen stretched and woke up in his bed in his own room at his father's house. The smile on his face couldn't be wider. Listening he could hear his father and grandfather downstairs in the kitchen and as had become usual smell the wonderful aroma of his grandfather's breakfast and his father arguing good naturedly with him about the merits of a breakfast first thing in the morning.

He sat up and looked around his room, he'd been here for three months and already he owned more stuff in this one room than his whole house in Los Angeles.

* * *

He had spent his first month painting the room with his grandfather, bonding over colors and stories of his father when he was young and after the room was painted he'd been surprised one morning by his father sitting on a chair watching him sleep.

Callen had opened his eyes and seen Gibbs sitting on a reclining chair he'd managed to move silently into the room.

"Dad?" Callen said rubbing the sleep from his eyes and sitting up, surprised that he'd managed to get that into the room without waking him.

"Nic, I like what you've done with the room." He said looking at the light blue room which gave the smaller room a light airy feel.

"Thanks. Nice chair." He replied.

"Looks a bit bare in here," Gibbs said.

Callen sat up drawing his knees to his chest and looked at his father, "You've been to my house…right?" he smirked.

"Yeah, you awake?" Gibbs asked.

Callen grabbed his boots and pulled them on, "Am now." He stood up favoring the scars on his torso as he did so.

"Got something you need." Gibbs said.

"Coffee?" Callen asked hopefully.

"Not yet." Gibbs walked to the basement where Jackson was sitting waiting for them.

"Happy birthday son." Jackson smiled.

"It's not my birthday…I don't think?" Callen said looking at Gibbs, Gibbs smiled at him.

"No it's not son, but I missed too many and so did your Grandpa so we made you something."

"D'ya build me a boat?" Callen asked with a smirk. Gibbs gave his son a light head slap.

"No," Gibbs grinned, "Better," He moved a few dust sheets and Callen saw a bed frame and a nightstand all handmade. "You just need to come with me today and pick out a mattress."

"I have a bed roll…what do I need a bed for?" Callen asked confused.

"To sleep in son, you can't keep sleeping on that thing, your recovering from being shot." Jackson said.

"But I slept on it last time I was shot." Callen argued.

"Yeah in a seedy motel room, Sam told me," Gibbs replied. "Son this will be your room, only your room. It's not going anywhere, I'll put a lock on it if you like, but it is just your room, you won't share it, no one will change anything in it…it's yours forever."

Callen took a step back the lump in his throat making it hard for him to speak. "M…My own…." He turned and all but ran up the basement stairs.

* * *

Gibbs shot Jackson a look and bolted after him almost knocking DiNozzo down on his way up the stairs.

"What happened, Jack?" Tony asked worried for his boss and his friend.

"I don't know, Leroy made these for Nico and he turned pale and ran off, but Leroy has gone after him, I'm not sure if it's because we have done something wrong or if it's his injuries affecting him." Jackson said as he got up from the bench seat and started making his way to the basement steps.

Tony smiled reassuring the older man, "Don't worry, I'm sure Gibbs has it in hand, so, what parts did you do?" he asked distracting Jackson from what was going on upstairs.

* * *

Gibbs walked around the house twice before he noticed the open window upstairs looking out he saw Callen sitting on the back porch roof hugging his knees and staring off across the back yard.

He carefully maneuvered himself out of the window and sat next to his son, he was surprised to find he'd been crying, Callen wiped his eyes angrily with the back of his hand and turned away from his father.

Breaking rule six Gibbs looked at his son, "I'm sorry Nico…." He said quietly.

"What for?" Callen asked

"I obviously upset you, I…I just thought you'd want a room at my house, I didn't mean to assume, and I have a rule against it you know." He said with a slight smile.

"No…That's not it…" Callen looked away again not wanting to make eye contact.

"Then tell me son." Gibbs urged.

"All I've ever wanted…ever was my own room, with my stuff in that was at my parents' home, like everyone else. Hetty brought me the Rostovs house, but that was a foster home, still is kinda, it's not really mine, I don't feel right about putting furniture in it. So I still sleep on my bed roll there."

Gibbs waited while Callen wiped his eyes again.

"I mean it was the one place, where I nearly felt like family…but it really wasn't…then I find out you're my father, I gain a family and a name and I get to stay for a while…all I've ever wanted and then you make me a real bed, that's just mine. Not something someone else's kid slept in and that another kid will claim as his own after I've left. You tell me that my room is mine and that it'll be here forever and that I can even lock it…and in 3 months I'm going to have to leave it." Callen sobbed openly. "How can I leave and go back to L.A. knowing all I have ever wanted is right here?"

"It will always be here son." Gibbs said.

"Will it?" Callen asked, He got up and moved past Gibbs and climbed in the window pacing his room as Gibbs followed him in.

"For crying out loud Dad! I'm a federal agent, I'm the guy the bad guys whisper about in fear and I'm crying because I'm scared I'll lose you if I go back to LA!" Callen berated himself.

He held onto his wounded torso and sank into the recliner "Painkillers?" Gibbs asked.

Callen nodded and Gibbs walked off.

* * *

Coming back from the bathroom Gibbs stopped outside Callen's room and listened, "I blew it, Hetty… He offered me all I ever wanted and I blew it, I yelled at him, he's gonna change his mind for sure, maybe he'll decide DiNozzo would make a better son than me….Of course I'm not coming home yet, I take it you've still put me on the FBI 'no-fly' list." Callen waited as Hetty confirmed that she had indeed negotiated with the head of the FBI to have Callen banned from flying home to Los Angeles until his four month vacation was over. "I could rent a car you know and drive home." He threatened. He laughed as Hetty threatened him with incarceration "Fine, I know I was over the top…but I freaked, you know this Dad thing is for life, I think it might be what having a kid feels like, I mean he's not like a foster dad, he's my DAD like forever dad, I mess up and he doesn't throw me back into the system, he's still my dad….this is HUGE Hetty, I'm just trying to get my head around it all that's all." Callen said. He listened for a few more moments and then shut the phone up.

"So meds?" Callen asked to the door and Gibbs stepped around the corner.

"You knew I was there?" Gibbs asked.

"Only for the last few minutes, how much did you hear?" Callen asked.

"Enough." Gibbs said he sat on the arm of the chair mindful of his son's wounds. "Nico, I will always be your father, this will always be your home, but you can have a home in LA too, you should put some furniture in there, remember the good times you had with that family and turn that house back into a home, maybe find a nice girl and make some new family memories in there."

"DAD!" Callen exclaimed.

"What? I'm not getting any younger, and I can be a grandpa now."

Callen laughed and rolled his eyes. "Really?"

"Yeah, that Kensi seemed nice?" Gibbs prodded.

"Deeks thinks so, I think they are dating." Callen laughed.

"Nell?"

"Eric…I think, they kinda have a Geek thing going on there."

Gibbs sat back, "One day, you'll find the right girl, I'm sure of it son." He reassured him.

Callen smirked "I know so…What about you, Dad…any takers out there?"

Gibbs laughed, "No," he said although a certain coffee barista did come to mind then he shook it off.

"Okay dad, I promise to stay out of your love life if you stay out of mine." Callen offered.

"Deal." Gibbs said gratefully.

"So dad…let's have another look at that bed then shall we." Callen carefully got up and headed for the stairs. "Come on, Grandpa may think we killed each other." He joked, finally allowing himself to close the door to 'his room'.

 


	14. Chapter 14

Callen looked around his room, Gibbs lifted his coffee mug, packaging for the new mattress on the floor.

"Well it's in…" Gibbs said with a small laugh.

Callen looked at his father, "I must admit, at one point there I didn't think we'd get it up the stairs." He responded.

"Ok son, I'll get the trash then I'm heading into the office for a few hours, you can finish your room. Don't forget it's Friday, the team are coming over for dinner and your grandpa is going home tomorrow." Gibbs said as he grabbed the packaging and headed down the stairs.

After 30 minutes the room was all squared away, the bed made and Callen had laid on it to test it out, it was surprisingly comfortable. Smelling something cooking he headed down the stairs. He knew that Gibbs was at work and he had the whole afternoon to spend with his grandpa.

"Something smells good." Callen said walking into the kitchen.

"It's not much, just grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup, hope that's ok with you son." Jackson said with a smile, putting the plate of grilled cheese sandwiches on the table and ladling out the soup into bowls, "Your fathers is having the team over for his famous 'cowboy' steaks tonight, so I thought we'd have something light."

Callen smiled, "Thanks I'm hungry, my…my rooms' all done."

"That's good." Jackson put the food down on the table, they ate in a comfortable silence, but Callen kept shooting his grandpa a look that Jack caught once or twice.

Clearing the plates and bowls away Jackson looked at his grandson, "Do you have something you wanna tell me son?" he asked.

"I…I wanna…"Callen shrugged, it had been eating him for a few days, but he didn't know how to bring it up. He walked up to the refrigerator and grabbed a beer.

Jackson put the last few things away as he heard Callen run upstairs and a few moments later come back down and walk into the living room, from his spot in the kitchen he watched as Callen placed a box gently down on the coffee table.

Jackson grabbed himself a coffee and walked into the room sitting on the chair directly opposite his grandson.

"You want to…?" He prodded.

"When we first met, you asked how mama died; did you ever meet her?" Callen asked.

Jack shook his head, "Your father was a teenager when he went to Romania and met your mother, and He told me she was a local Roma girl, He loved her, but I was told their marriage was illegal. He told me your mother had died, he never told me about any children, the authorities deported him and he was sad when he came home but never talked about it."

Shakily Callen opened the box; Jackson could see there wasn't much in there.

"What's that son?" He asked.

Callen gave him a sad smile, "My life…" he sighed, "It is all I have of my past, I'm kinda hoping, the blanks get filled in now." He handed Jackson a picture, "it's my mama, her name was Clara."

Jackson carefully took the picture, looking at the smile on the young woman's face he could tell whoever she was looking at she was totally in love with.

"Who took the picture?" Jack asked.

"Dad, Mom had just told him she was pregnant with me." He could see what looked like the handle of a child's stroller in the bottom right hand corner, "And your sister was in the stroller?"

Callen nodded. "According to dad."

Gibbs opened the door quietly as he had seen his father and son deep in conversation. Listening to his son tell his father all about his first wife and showing him the few artifacts he had about his family, Gibbs walked to the hall closet and grabbed a small envelope he had put in there this morning.

"Hey dad!" Callen smiled as his father walked in. Gibbs looked at the picture of Clara that Jackson was holding.

"I love that picture,"

Callen opened the rest of the box, "I don't have any more pictures of her I'm afraid."

Gibbs reached in and lifted out a picture of a teenage boy holding a small girl above his head. "Who's that?" he asked.

"Me with Alina Rostov, Malinki sistra." He smiled at the memory.

"Mel-linky c-es-tra?" Jackson asked

"Little sister." Gibbs replied.

Jackson nodded remembering that they had said they had both worked in Russia. "So, they were one of your foster families?" he asked.

"Yeah, the good one." Callen said off-handedly, not seeing the look that Gibbs and Jackson shot each other.

"I have something for you son." Gibbs said and handed him the envelope.

Callen opened it and looked at his dad confused, "Who?"

"Your sister Kelly and your stepmother Shannon, my second wife." Gibbs said pulling out the first picture.

Callen looked at it, the smiling red headed woman and the auburn haired happy little girl.

"They looked happy." He said quietly and picked up the next picture, "That's you!" he said to Jackson and showed him the picture of a very young Jackson Gibbs and a beautiful woman standing beside him and holding his arm.

Jackson smiled, he hadn't seen this picture in years, he didn't know Leroy had kept it, "That's your grandmother, Anne." He told his grandson, "She died of cancer when Leroy was young."

"I'm sorry," Callen said looking at her for signs of himself in their faces.

Then Gibbs gave him a picture of himself as a teenager holding a small blonde haired girl. "Mea mare Sora…." Callen whispered stroking her face.

Gibbs nodded his Romanian had never been very good but he knew what he was thinking. "Yes that's Amelia."

"She's small… I mean she has always been so big in my mind." He admitted.

Gibbs shrugged, "For me she was always small."

"It's a matter of perspective I guess." Jackson told his boys.

* * *

The door knocked and Tony and McGee walked in, "Hey guys, you started already?" Tony asked.

Gibbs glared at Tony and walked to the fireplace and lit the prebuilt fire. "Not yet DiNozzo."

"Not the steaks boss, the…the 'other' thing." Tony hinted.

Both Callen and Jackson looked up confused.

"Well…" Tony explained looking out the window to see Ziva and Abby, Jimmy and Ducky walking up the sidewalk to the house. "You see, we know you are going home tomorrow Jack and that Callen is going home at the end of next week, and…well….Gibbs told us about your box." Tony said nodding to the box on the table.

Instinctively Callen put the photo back in the box and closed the lid. As the others walked in he held the box protectively on his lap.

Tony put a picture of him on the table, "Your big brother." He said and walked off leaving a confused Jackson as he stood next to Gibbs by the fire.

Tim watching took the hint, "Your little brother." He said and left a photo of him on the table.

"What?" Callen said

Ziva walked in and hugged him giving him a small gold necklace and a photo of her as a child. "Your little sister."

Abby followed her with a small key-ring sized version of Bert and a picture of herself in her lab coat "Your other sister." She said and hugged him. "Put them in your box."

Callen looked at the team and the Jimmy came up and handed him a photo of him and Breena. "Your cousins, there will be more, we are planning on adopting." He said

"If you will allow?" Ducky said handing him a recent photo, "Your uncle Ducky." He said.

Callen looked at them all standing near the fireplace all looking at him. He suddenly felt uncomfortable but Jackson put his hand on his grandsons shoulder.

Callen swallowed a few times, "W...Why?"

Abby smiled, "It's well known around NCIS that we are Gibbs' kids, you really are Gibbs' son, therefore you are our brother, Sam and Gibbs told us about your box of memories that you carry photo's of your family in, as well as memento's of your past. We know you are going home soon, but we didn't want you to go without a full family get together, and you needed pictures of the rest of your family to go in the box." She told him.

Callen looked at her like she was crazy, "Don't worry Bro, you'll get used to her." Tony joked.

As Gibbs cooked the steaks and the girls made salad and potatoes in the kitchen Callen leaned against the wall and watched his new family.

He liked the way they interacted with each other and the way they seemed comfortable with each other. He watched as his father laughed a something Tony said, ruffling his hair and handing him a fresh beer.

Jackson looked up seeing his grandson standing at the edge of the gathering, watching but not really participating. He wanted to pull him into the circle of warmth and family, but instead he watched his new grandson to see if he could find out if something was actually wrong with him.

Callen smiled, he was pleased his father had another family and he wouldn't be alone after he went back to LA. As Ziva and Abby came in with the salad, Callen used the diversion to slip out the back. He sat down on the back steps and let out a quiet sigh.

* * *

"You ok son?" Gibbs asked. He'd seen his son standing on the periphery of the gathering and had watched as he slipped out the back.

Callen shrugged, "Sure I'm fine."

Gibbs let out a small laugh, "I don't believe Tony when he says that, and I know you're not."

"I'm glad for you that you'll have family around after I go back." The, to L.A. alone part was left unsaid; But Gibbs being Gibbs caught it anyway.

"Nic, when Amy wasn't with you, was she any less your sister?" Gibbs asked.

"NO!" Callen looked up shocked he'd asked the question.

"When you go back to Los Angeles will I be any less your father or Jack your grandpa?"

"No?!" Callen wasn't sure where this was leading.

"Then why do you think you'll be any less my son or any less a part of this family when you go back to L.A?" Gibbs asked sitting next to his son.

Again Callen looked across the back yard, unwilling to answer, he knew what was eating him was irrational, he was a federal agent , he could cope with this…he just needed time to work through it and stuff it in a box.

"Nico?"

Callen sighed, "I guess I just thought…." He got up and paced along the porch, annoyed more with himself than with anyone else. "I thought, like the others you'd just forget when I was gone."

"Forget?"

"Me…I'm forgettable," Callen laughed, "It's part of my job description that I be forgettable, been doing it my whole life, but …"

Gibbs stood up and walked behind Callen putting a hand on his shoulder.

Callen jumped, "Sorry," he said instantly.

"You are not forgettable to me, when I had to leave you and I thought you were all dead, you were not forgotten, there wasn't a day that went by that I didn't try to find out what happened to your mom and your sister, I didn't know if you had been born, if you were a boy or a girl, but I still tried to find out. But _never_ were you forgotten. Yes my team is my family, but you are my blood. I know your scared son."

Callen let out a small laugh and moved away, but Gibbs continued, "Yes you are scared, I can understand it, you are finally a part of a family, a large family that loves you and cares about you, because you deserve to be cared about. Just as your team is your family,"

Callen smiled as he remembered Sam, hovering over him when he came back from being shot and Hetty and her motherly attitude towards him. "I suppose you're right."

"There's no supposing about it son." Gibbs said, "Come back inside, eat with your brothers and sisters make some new memories to tell your LA family about." He said.

Callen smiled, he took one last look up at the sky and smiled at the four stars he could see, "I have a family mama," he whispered and turned to walk inside, to be with his family.

He opened the door, Abby's laughter floating through it, and walked inside smiling…

 


	15. Chapter 15

Gibbs walked back into his house to find his son asleep on the sofa. "Nic?" Gibbs called softly, not really wanting to wake his son. Callen turned over but didn't wake. Smiling Gibbs covered his son with a blanket and went to make coffee.

He'd just gotten back from taking his own father back to Stillwater.

Jackson and his son had left early, Nic had been up to say goodbye and Jackson and Nicolai embraced warmly as they said their goodbyes.

"I will miss you son, you'll keep in touch with me now won't you?" Jackson prompted.

Callen smiled, "Yes Grandpa. And maybe you can take a vacation and come out to Los Angeles to meet my team properly?"

Gibbs walked past and grinned at the pair of them, "You'd better get some furniture if you're planning on having your grandpa to stay Nic." He admonished playfully.

Callen shoulders slumped, "Yeah…you could always build me some furniture dad?" He asked hopefully.

Gibbs smiled, "Already on it." He admitted.

"Bye Grandpa, have a safe journey." Callen hugged Jackson again, truth be told inside him he was afraid to let him go, but reluctantly he did.

Jackson patted him on the back as he let go, "It's ok Nicolai, I will be out to see you for Christmas, and I'm bringing your father with me, families have to be together on the holidays," he told him.

Callen's face lit up in a smile, "Christmas…In L.A?…you're going to spend Christmas with me?"

Jackson nodded, "Got it all planned, we'll be out 2nd week in December and we are staying till January if that's ok?" he asked.

Callen wasn't sure his smile would get any wider, but it did. "Yeah…yeah, that'd be great!"

Callen had waved till the truck with his father and grandfather in, was just out of sight and he walked with a small skip, (Which, if Sam had seen he'd have never lived down,) back into the house. He sat on the sofa grinning from ear to ear, a family Christmas, he'd read about them, he'd seen and been invited to Sam's, but it wasn't the same as actually having  _his_  family around to spend Christmas with _him_.

He got up and walked over to the house phone, picking up a pad and pen, he sat on the sofa and started making a list of what he would need in his house for  _his_  family to come over and stay with him. 'Number 1; Sofa and chairs…Ok this is easy, 2, Beds, 3. table. 4. chairs, 5, plates…at number 45, bed linens,' he started to doze off, dreaming about his first family Christmas.

* * *

That was how Gibbs found him a few hours later, sleeping with a smile on his face. A look, which if Gibbs had his way would stay forever on his son's face. Taking out his phone and snapping a picture he headed for the kitchen and the elusive coffee maker.

Callen opened his eyes at the smell of coffee, "Dad? Are you home?"

Gibbs walked through holding two mugs, "Yeah got back about half an hour ago."

"Grandpa got home and settled ok?"

"Yeah, gave me this for you." Gibbs said and handed him a small wooden box.

Admiring the workmanship, Callen looked at the box, "It's nice," He said and then heard something rattle inside the box. Looking up in surprise Callen opened it.

"It's keys?" he said surprised. "Did grandpa accidentally leave them in there? We should get them back to him."

Gibbs smiled and sat down next to his son.

"And you an investigator…" He deadpanned.

"Sorry?"

"The larger one is a key to your grandpa's store; this is a key to the new lock I fitted on your room. I would have given you a key to my house, but I never lock the door." Gibbs explained.

"Why…I mean I know you said you'd put a lock on my door to my room, but why would grandpa give me a key to the store?"

"He said it was so you knew that as family you are always welcome and you'll never be locked out of his life."

Callen fought back the sudden tears at the statement. "Thanks." He said with a shaky voice.

* * *

The rest of the week past in a blur, Callen had a visit to NCIS to see Director Vance and re-certify for full field agent status.

"So Agent Callen, or is it Gibbs?" Vance asked as Callen walked in the room.

Callen smirked and Vance could see his father in him, "It's Callen, I'm used to it now I wouldn't want to change it, but I use my other name outside work."

Vance smiled, "You are probably the only undercover agent I know who uses his 'other' name for work and his real name in real life."

Callen shrugged, "Always been different,"

Vance tried to cover his smile, "Yes, yes you have. Now, have you passed your re-certification?" he asked.

Callen dropped a file on his desk, "Yeah and my psych eval….Nice try there!" Callen grinned.

Vance held up his hands, "Hetty suggestion not mine, she thought you could do with talking to someone over all that had happened."

Callen nodded totally understanding, "And you couldn't say no."

"Have you tried?" Vance said sounding defeated.

Callen laughed. "So, can I start back to work next week?"

Vance looked a bit surprised, "I would have thought you would have wanted to start straight away."

"No, I'm gonna finish the week out with Dad, besides I have to wait for Hetty to get my clearance from you so she can contact the FBI."

"FBI?" Vance asked confused.

"Hetty was so worried I'd not stay, she put me on the no-fly list."

Vance laughed; it was he reasoned something Hetty would do for one of her agents.

"Very well, welcome back Agent Callen." Vance said he stood up and shook his hand and walked with him to the balcony overlooking the bullpen.

Callen leant on the railing watching his father, surrogate brothers and sister working on a case.

Gibbs looked up, and smiled when he saw it was his son watching him.

"Can I?" Callen asked looking down at the others.

"Certainly, but Agent Callen, do not work the case…whatever it is." Vance said with a small smile.

Callen nodded and jogged down the stairs to join the others.

It was nice seeing the team again, all of whom took great pains to show him where they worked and where his father worked. Callen smiled, although he had been there before and knew this he understood that they were trying to include him and he appreciated that fact. DiNozzo took him down to Abby who then took him on a tour of the DC office, delighting in introducing him to everyone as Gibbs' son. Although he did feel slightly uncomfortable he did like being introduced as that.

Eventually he arrived back in the office; Gibbs looked up as he sat on his desk, a few agents looking up as he did so waiting for Gibbs to blow up.

"You eating food today dad?" Callen asked.

Gibbs looked up as his team listened in hopefully.

"Fine, we are on cold cases. If you haven't got an active lead, go home. We can start again tomorrow." Gibbs said.

"Yay Bro!" Tony said fist pumping the air.

Gibbs walked to the elevator as Callen stopped to talk to Tony, "Make the most of it I go home Friday." He said.

"NIC!" Gibbs called from the elevator.

"Coming Dad!" Callen called as he ran to catch up, seeing the surprised glances of the last few Agents who hadn't heard the scuttlebutt.

* * *

The week flew by and finally it was time for Callen to return to Los Angeles.

So Friday morning had him standing at the airport with his bag and ticket, waiting for his father to see him off.

"NICOLAI!" Abby's voice came cutting through the low hubbub of the airport. He looked up to see the bubbly Goth, DiNozzo, David and McGee and Gibbs all walking towards him.

She barreled through the crowed and launched into his arms, "Oh My God! I am going to miss you so much!" she exclaimed hugging him tight.

"Abbs. I'm only going to Los Angeles. You can talk to me all the time." Callen reasoned, his heart swelling that they had all turned out to see him off.

Tony and Tim gave him a 'man hug' and told him to keep in touch. Ziva walked over kissed him on the cheek and whispered something in his ear. Callen blushed and nodded. "You will be fine." She told him and stepped back.

"I will miss you all." He told them.

Gibbs turned to his son, "Ducky and Jimmy couldn't make it they have an autopsy for another teams' case. Ducky gave me this for you." He handed his son a book. "How green was my valley?" he asked.

Gibbs shrugged, "He said it'd help you to learn about being a family member."

Callen put the book in his bag.

* * *

Shooting a look at his team, Gibbs and Callen walked to the gate. Flashing his badge, Gibbs made it through the gate and walked with him all the way to the terminal.

Pulling him to one side, Gibbs hugged his son, "I will miss you and I love you. You stay safe over there."

"I…I will dad…" Callen swallowed thickly as his throat got all tight.

"Remember no matter where you are, you will always be my son." Gibbs reiterated his words from a week ago.

Callen smiled. "I know…Thank you for finding me."

Blinking rapidly, Callen turned and with a wave he walked out of sight onto the plane.

As the plane taxied away from the gate Callen could see his dad surrounded by his surrogate family supporting him as he left.

The young woman sitting next to Callen, looked over at him, "That's a nice family you have there. You must be very lucky."

Smiling Callen turned to her, "Yeah…yeah I do and yeah I am." He replied looking her over appreciatively.

This was going to be a good flight…

* * *

A/N. Yes this is the end of this story...but there may one day be a sequel as I would love to re-visit this universe again. Thank you to all who have read, reviewed, followed and favorited this story. I appreciate you all.

GC.

 


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